Brie and Franco reteam for Amazon’s ‘Somebody I Used to Know’

While the world awaits an inevitable Jennifer Lopez-Ben Affleck movie collaboration (“Gigli 2”!), another famous couple recently collaborated on their latest indie drama, “Somebody I Used to Know,” available exclusively on Amazon Prime.

OK, so Alison Brie and Dave Franco aren’t quite as famous as Bennifer, but the married couple have demonstrated a range of talents in projects both together and apart.

Brie, most known for her roles on “Community” and “GLOW,” co-wrote three of her most recent (and well-received) independent films: “Somebody I Used to Know,” 2020’s “Horse Girl” and last year’s “Spin Me Around.”

Franco, a comedic force in movies like “21 Jump Street,” the “Now You See Me” films and last year’s gonzo vampire-hunting adventure “Day Shift,” made his directorial debut with the 2020 horror film, “The Rental,” which starred Brie.

The romantic comedy “Somebody I Used to Know,” is Franco’s follow-up, which he also co-wrote with Brie. She stars as successful TV producer Ally, who returns home to Leavenworth, Wash., to visit friends and family following the cancellation of her sleazy-but-popular reality show.

While at home (the film does include some lovely exteriors of the Northwest vacation town), Ally connects with her ex-boyfriend, Sean (Jay Ellis of “Top Gun: Maverick”), whom she left behind to pursue filmmaking in Los Angeles. With her show in flux, Ally feels the sparks again for Sean, but, oops, he’s engaged to be married to Cassidy (Kiersey Clemons), a free-spirited younger woman who reminds Ally of herself before she left for L.A.

As one supporting character expressly accuses, Ally tries to pull a “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and break up the happy couple. But Ally can’t help but connect with her rival, and she begins to worry that Cassidy won’t hold onto the creative spark that drained out of Ally years ago.

The screenplay strains hard to align these characters into a love triangle (no way any decent friend of Cassidy or Sean would welcome a lovelorn ex-girlfriend to leech onto the groom for an entire weekend of pre-wedding activities). The script falters with the setup but nevertheless brings Cassidy and Ally together in believable and surprisingly poignant ways rather than pitting the two against each other in superficial and sexist ways.

Two welcome supporting performances to mention: Haley Joel Osment plays an overexcited, cornball relative and Brie’s “Community” co-star Danny Pudi plays Sean and Ally’s mutual friend who gets stuck trying to stop Ally from destructive behavior.

Franco, who doesn’t appear in the film, does a serviceable job behind the camera, but for a low-budget indie comedy, there isn’t much to show off other than managing the tonal control of a movie that tries to examine thoughtful Old Millennial angst through the mechanizations of a 90s rom-com. The script could be tighter, but Brie especially has a strong range that allows her to jump easily between dry comedy and heavier emotional moments.

As a random streaming movie in February, you could do much worse than “Somebody I Used to Know.” The worse “Valentine’s-adjacent” titles on streaming this year feature bigger stars but lack the thoughtfulness on display here by Brie and Franco. May their next collaboration show even more promise.

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Tyler Wilson is a member of the International Press Academy and has been writing about movies for Inland Northwest publications since 2000, including a regular column in The Press since 2006. He can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.