Somebody I Used to Know, directed by Dave Franco and starring his real-life partner Alison Brie, creates a sticky situation we’ve seen in more than a few 90s rom-coms, particularly My Best Friend’s Wedding. Halfway through this charming but restrained story, you realize that Franco is actually referring to the 1997 Julia Roberts blockbuster and subverting the tropes it set up to tell a different story about falling in love with yourself instead of chasing romance like it’s a wild animal that needs to be tamed.
Brie plays Ally, a lonely and capricious producer of an awful reality show, “Desert Island,” which features celebrity chefs competing to make the best dessert on, you guessed it, a desert island. When she finds out her show is getting canceled, she slinks back home to the charming village of Leavenworth, Washington, where she hopes to rediscover herself. Her mother (a frazzled Julie Hagerty) is excited to have her back, although her sex life overshadows Ally’s, which is on display from the moment she walks in the door.
Ally encounters her old flame Sean (Insecure’s Jay Ellis), whom she broke up with years prior to pursuing her career. Without bringing up their rocky past, they embark on an all-night drinking spree in Leavenworth, which rekindles the burnt-out flame inside of her. Ally is so happy about their spur-of-the-moment date that she wants to win him back. She hopes that by doing so, she can get over her current disappointments and set herself up for a bright future.
Unfortunately for Sean, he is about to marry Cassidy (Kiersey Clemons), a spunky bohemian who plays in a punk band and adores him fiercely. At this point, a sane person would admit defeat and take the first flight home, but Ally insinuates herself into their wedding by offering to film it. Without a tactful plan in place, she hangs out at every function, batting her eyes at Sean while secretly hoping he falls back in love with her. But Cassidy is no fool. Once she thinks Ally is trying to crash their upcoming wedding, she befriends her to find out why. Ally and Cassidy circle each other like panthers, which leads to an interesting connection between them. Meanwhile, poor Sean bobs in the middle of this tempest with a lost stare, which garners the film’s best laughs. Ellis’ performance is one of the film’s highlights.
Even though the plot is similar to other stories, this is on purpose, and Franco’s direction ties together the different scenes by making the actors have a strong connection with each other. At times, the narrative almost caves in on itself from spending too much time with insubstantial characters (including supporting cast members Haley Joel Osment and Danny Pudi), but thankfully there’s more invested in the quiet moments, like when Ally locks eyes with Sean across a crowded room or when Cassidy glares at Ally, realizing she’s her nemesis. Franco revealed this same adeptness for storytelling in The Rental, which also dealt with uncomfortable situations, adding layers of humor, tension, and horror.
The Prime Video comedy’s main problem is with the script (co-written by Franco and Brie), which is far too sweet and timid for its own good. Everyone is so darn earnest, you forget the framework of the story, which has malicious and multifaceted underpinnings. At times, the movie drifts from Ally, whose intentions should be front and center, and instead finds refuge in all the noise surrounding her. For some reason, Franco thinks all the wedding guests are hilarious, which they are not—at least not enough for a “hang out” ensemble comedy. Also, Ally comes off as too humble and friendly for such a problematic character. If she has a dark side, the movie won’t go there. The script constantly tries to convince us that she just stumbles into doing terrible things instead of explaining why she’s doing them, which results in a pretty limp catharsis.
There’s no doubt that Somebody I Used to Know (which references the Gotye song only in the title) is an intelligent and sweet romp. Brie has a talent that can’t be denied (she was just as interesting in last year’s Spin Me Round), as do Ellis and Clemons, who all give off a contagious sense of humanity. You might even walk away from this feeling fuzzy and cute, but there is nothing discernible or concrete. If you’re going to undercut rom-coms, make sure you’re just as sharp as your target. My Best Friend’s Wedding might be outdated, but there’s a reason people keep revisiting it, and it’s not because it holds back. Franco’s attempt to reinterpret the genre by grounding it in a kind of universe is respectable, but ultimately it’s bland. Have we become so scared of offending each other that it’s bled into our storytelling? Leave your niceties at the door; film is a forum where human failings and frailties should reign.
