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 90’s rom-coms, particularly My Best Friend’s Wedding. Halfway through this charming albeit restrained yarn, you realize that Franco is actually referencing the 1997 Julia Roberts blockbuster and then subverting the tropes it established to tell a different story about falling in love with yourself instead of chasing romance as if it were a beast that needed 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, WA., 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), who she broke up with years prior to pursue 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. In fact, Ally is so excited about their impromptu date, she’s determined to win him back, hoping to both eradicate her present disappointments and pave a golden path for her future.
Unfortunately, Sean is about to marry Cassidy (Kiersey Clemons), a spunky bohemian who plays in a punk band and loves Sean with something fierce. 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 suspects Ally…
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