Poignant Rom-Com Somebody I Used to Know Tries a Little Too Hard to Be Funny
Ally (Alison Brie) is experiencing a quarter-life crisis. A big shot in Hollywood, her star-studded world is thrown into orbit when her mega-popular baking/reality show hybrid Dessert Island is canceled after three seasons. To cope with the blow, she returns to her old stomping grounds—the Bavarian-style small town of Leavenworth, Washington—to seek guidance from her doting mother (Julie Hagerty). Almost immediately after touching down in Leavenworth, Ally spots her high school sweetheart, Sean (Jay Ellis), at the local bar. The two quickly rekindle their old flame, leading Ally to wonder if she should just permanently abandon the big city life for pretzels and sauerkraut.
There is one problem, though: Sean is engaged to punk-rock badass Cassidy (Kiersey Clemons), and the two are set to be married that very weekend. And, as wrong as she knows it is, Ally can’t ignore her feelings for her old beau. So, she decides to stay in town and see things through with the groom, and through that resolution sets up a naturally uproarious premise with boundless opportunity for hilarity and heartbreak alike.
In some ways, Somebody I Used to Know, co-written by Brie and her partner Dave Franco, who also directed the film, makes good on its fresh, daring setup. Much of this can be attributed to Brie, who steals the show as the only actor involved who really seems to understand its equally lighthearted and sardonic tone. Brie shoulders the entirety of Somebody I Used to Know’s humor by frequently adopting her staple high-pitched, self-deprecating cadence, through which she masterfully emphasizes the awkwardness of her character’s situation. All the while, she remains consistently charming through her patient expression and soft smile, injecting empathy into what could have easily read as a bitter, petty character on a mission to sabotage a happy relationship due to her own disillusionment with life.
Brie’s co-stars don’t quite manage to meet her on that compassionate, clumsy tightrope. Ellis plays opposite her a little too straight and, as a result, he comes across as one-note, making it difficult to see what exactly draws Ally so staunchly to him that she would try to stop a wedding for the chance to win him back. The script doesn’t exactly help reconcile the pair’s dire lack of chemistry, either, providing only the most meager insight into their past, and giving them very little to talk about, relegating their romantic night to a montage rather than a meaningful conversation.