You’ll rarely see a husband and wife Hollywood couple having as much fun at work as Dave Franco and Alison Brie. Following his directorial debut with the vacation horror, The Rental, the two are reunited, as director and star, but also as co-writers, in the charming, low-key dramedy Somebody I Used to Know. The duo’s passion for rom-coms is clear in this charming Julia Roberts-esque film full of reignited passion, nostalgia, and midlife crisis.
Brie stars as Ally, an L.A. producer who gave up her dream of making serious documentary films in order to run the ridiculous reality show, Dessert Island, a show I would totally watch. Anyway, when the series isn’t immediately renewed, Ally becomes unmoored and decides to head back to her hometown in Washington to recalibrate. Almost immediately she encounters former flame Sean (Top Gun: Maverick‘s Jay Ellis), who she abandoned to pursue her Hollywood dreams. After a truly magical evening that’s like they were never apart, Ally learns that Sean is actually engaged to someone much younger and cooler than her. That would be Cassidy (Kiersey Clemons), a hip, creative rocker who has all of the energetic drive and independence that Ally used to cherish about herself.
There’s a not-so-subtle subversion of rom-com tropes going on with Somebody I Used to Know that’s refreshing. Of course, we’re expected to do as Ally does and overlook that Sean lied about his engagement. This is never really a problem for her until it needs to be plot-wise. But this is never really a story about Ally and Sean. It’s about Ally and Cassidy who, despite the awkward circumstances of their meeting, become fast friends.
The film is far more interesting when following Ally and Cassidy, who see aspects in one another to admire. Ally regains some of the youthfulness and optimism that being an overworked adult had stolen. But more importantly, she comes to realize that the dream she had set for herself, one that she achieved, may not have given her everything that she needs. We learn through a labored scene later on that Cassidy is estranged from her own family, with Ally filling in as a mentor or even a sisterly figure. It’s actually quite a lovely and fun little friendship that we know can’t last forever.
Despite Sean not being the most fully-formed character in the film, Ellis and Brie do heat things up when sharing the screen. Brie makes it really hard to dislike any character she’s playing. Even though Ally is basically trying to break-up a wedding here, we still want to be on her side. And we can see why Sean is so taken with her. There are also some great supporting players, such as Brie’s Community pal Danny Pudi as Benny, a friend caught in the middle of Ally and Sean’s issues. Another standout is Haley Joel Osment as Sean’s chatty, exuberant brother Jeremy. If you ever wanted to see Osment doing the worm, this is the movie for it. And I am personally always a fan of the great Julie Hagerty, who brings her many comedic gifts as Ally’s very sexually active mother. If only she were afforded a bit more to do, and definitely more time paired up with Brie. Their style of comedy is very similar and when together they flash so much potential. How about a mother/daughter road trip comedy with those two?
Franco doesn’t experiment visually quite as much with this film as with his last, but that makes sense considering what he is trying to accomplish here. Somebody I Used to Know is breezy, funny, and mostly predictable, but it has a really positive take on female relationships and imagines its characters as having more going on than whether or not they find love. With Brie continuing to be a comedic gem in little films like this, Somebody I Used to Know is actually worth spending time with.
Somebody I Used to Know hits Prime Video on February 10th. You can also check out our interview with Alison Brie here.
