Somebody I Used to Know

Hearing the title may catapult you back into the summer of 2011, but this Amazon Studios production has nothing to do with the catchy Gotye song. The Dave Franco-directed romantic comedy stars Alison Brie and was co-written by the pair as a personal passion project about experiencing “relationship amnesia”.

After her reality-TV-slash-baking-competition show, Dessert Island, is cancelled, despondent producer Ally returns to her hometown of Leavenworth, a Washington State village that resembles a Bavarian Christmas market all year round. She promptly runs into her ex-boyfriend, Sean (Jay Ellis), causing her to re-evaluate the life choices that led them astray. Things are complicated further when she is introduced to Sean’s fiancée, Cassidy (Kiersey Clemons), and asked to film the couple’s wedding video.

The dawdling setup easily lays a false trail of expectations (is this just a softer Young Adult without Diablo Cody’s incisive dialogue?), when in reality, we are dealing with a more emotionally mature and contemporary take on My Best Friend’s Wedding. Clearly inspired by classics of the genre, the feature tackles the double-edged sword of nostalgia head-on and indiscriminately places value in both romantic liaisons and relationships with ourselves.

Despite the hit-and-miss effect of certain punchlines, the part of Ally has Brie completely in her element and her abandon is undeniably alluring. In particular, her interaction with co-stars Danny Pudi (in a long-anticipated Community reunion) and Haley Joel Osment provides the film’s comedic peak. Further casting kudos have to be extended to the cat, credited as Gouda, whose collaboration with Brie is another vital factor playing into the story’s charm.

Since Franco’s directorial debut, The Rental, was of a completely different nature, the confident execution of Somebody I Used to Know may come as a surprise to some, but it is a very welcome one that will surely draw in viewers, even after Valentine’s Day is over.

Selina Sondermann

Somebody I Used to Know is released on Amazon Prime Video on 10^th February 2023.

Watch the trailer for Somebody I Used to Know here: