When we were planning the films we intended on reviewing this month, Somebody I Used to Know came about as a surprise late addition to the February slate. I really hadn’t heard a ton of information on this film and, other than the cast, was blind leading into my viewing. Starring a fantastic Alison Brie and a mesmerizing Jay Ellis, I was pleasantly surprised at how fun the film was.
Somebody I Used to Know follows Allie (Alison Brie), a big time tv producer working on the latest great reality show: Dessert Island- A combination of a baking show and survivor-esque reality tv. Allie has just finished filming season 3 of her show when she finds out it’s been cancelled by the network for poor ratings. Distraught, Allie returns to her parents in her hometown for a much needed personal vacation.
That’s where she meets Sean (Jay Ellis), an old boyfriend of hers who has never moved from the hometown- he works for his dad’s company and built his dream home on his parent’s lot. The two have a fantastic meet-cute and subsequent date montage that ends in a kiss. However, when she visits him the next day, she finds out he is getting married in two days to Cassie (Kiersey Clemons), a punk rock musician who is settling down with Sean. Allie is asked to stay for the wedding by Sean’s mother Jojo (Olga Merediz in a standout performance) and Allie plans to take Sean back for herself, however things don’t exactly go as planned.
Yes, this plot seems very reminiscent of a Hallmark Christmas Movie or even My Best Friend’s Wedding, yet the film takes several turns away from this overdone plotline that I appreciate greatly. In the end, the film ends up being a pretty powerful look at personal growth, and it worked well. I found I was enjoying myself much more frequently than I expected while watching, and it didn’t feel overdone or like I had seen this film before.
I was thoroughly impressed upon watching at how good the chemistry amongst the performers is. Ellis, Brie and Clemons all knock it out of the park. But in addition to them, great supporting roles from Brie’s Community costar Danny Pudi and Haley Joel Osment, who play Sean’s best friend and younger brother respectively, really contribute to the fantastic energy the cast carries. Brie and Pudi especially harken back to their days on Community as if they hadn’t missed a day and it is really refreshing to see on screen again.
The film also took to using several subplots that were supposed to help move the main plot forward. I felt this was done to mixed success. One of the main subplots involves Allie’s previous association with nudism. Her whole goal of moving to LA after all was to film a documentary on nudist colonies. I felt this plotline was wholly unnecessary and could have been switched to something else with the same effect. Why writer/director Dave Franco and co-writer Brie (whom are married to each other) decided to go this route is a bit puzzling to me. She could have easily been just as obsessed with documenting global warming for example and it would have gotten the same message across.
I have seen particular criticism among other critics for how the film treated it’s other primary subplot: the fact that Cassie does not have and does not want to have a relationship with her parents. While I do think it could have been explored more, some are treating it as a crime they did not. However, I believe that this subplot worked well in establishing who Cassie is. As moviegoers, we sometimes get so rewarded by seeing subplots pay off in a way that is rewarding, however that’s not how it always works in real life. Cassie does not engage in her parents at all, and when they show up unexpectedly to her wedding rehearsal, she shuns them away and we never see them again. Sometimes in life, we don’t have the magical development and resolutions we hope to see on the screen, and I appreciated Somebody I Used to Know for showing that to us.
Final Thoughts
Somebody I Used to Know on the surface is seemingly another run of the mill rom-com where the workaholic girl meets the hometown guy and they fall in love. However, under the surface, it reveals to be so much more than that. Brie and Franco wrote a greatly nuanced look at personal growth and finding your passion in a format that is pleasing to all adult audiences. While there were some missteps along the way, I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed watching it. Somebody I Used to Know showed us that sometimes all it takes to rediscover who you really are is by being able to look back at who you used to be.
