Somebody I Used to Know is a beautiful new romantic comedy that sends its workaholic protagonist running home for the first time in a long time, where she rediscovers some profound, and confusing, parts of her identity. The movie marks Dave Franco’s second film and his fourth collaboration with his wife Alison Brie. The two are fond of working with each other, and this gives Franco a chance to expand his repertoire from a thorough acting career into directing. Franco has worked on such movies as The Disaster Artist, 21 Jump Street, and If Beale Street Could Talk.

Somebody I Used to Know will feature a fantastic cast, and tell a story that more of us can relate to as we grow older. We’ll find our main character returning to her hometown and falling in love with more than just the people she left behind. Brie and Franco have collaborated often in the past, and now they turn their talents to tell the story themselves, as both of them helped create this whole story from the ground up. As the film unfolds, we’ll understand how freeing it can be to reconcile with one’s past and rediscover the love that one has hidden away in their heart.

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Somebody I Used to Know: The Plot

Somebody I Used to Know is a title that comes with a double meaning. The film follows the story of one overworked television producer named Ally who faces the consequences of a big failure in her career. With this hurdle in her path and no way to vault over it, she decides to return home to escape the stress of work. Once Ally makes it back to her hometown, old friends and memories begin rushing back. But of course, the “Somebody” in the title doesn’t just mean the people of her old town.

All the while her friends can’t help but watch and comment on what she’s doing to herself. It seems like she’s been taken out of her laser-focused, workaholic path to learn a little lesson in emotional literacy. As her old friends continue to watch, she struggles to keep a hold of herself in the throes of passion and memory. Ally isn’t just discovering her old friends that have stayed behind, but she’s uncovering the part of herself that drove her to be creative in the first place. The movie’s poster shows Alison Brie running naked through a field with the words “The past will bare it all.” Showing us all the perfect freedom that love, and a resolution with the self brings.

Ally spends an evening reconnecting with her first love, Sean. A night spent recalling fond memories begins to make her question just what path she’s walked down during the time she’s been away. This small fire that Ally has now rekindled suddenly gets complicated when she finds out Sean is about to marry a woman named Cassidy, whose passionate spirit reminds Ally of who she used to be. The longing she feels is only magnified by the nostalgia for her hometown, the feelings she remembers for Sean, and the new sensations she has stumbling backward into this love triangle.

Somebody I Used to Know: The Cast & Crew

     DreamWorks Pictures

Somebody I Used to Know boasts quite an incredible cast, with Dave Franco directing. He and his wife, Alison Brie, wrote the film. The two posted a video on Instagram telling all their fans how making the movie had them feeling nostalgic for the time they first fell in love. Franco posted an old voicemail that Brie left him when she was drunk just to expose that intimate and hilarious part of their relationship. It certainly serves to inspire the audience with what they can expect to feel watching this movie.

Alison Brie stars as Ally, and her long-lost love Sean is played by Jay Ellis (Top Gun: Maverick). Sean’s wife-to-be, Cassidy will be played by Kiersey Clemons (DOPE, Zack Snyder’s Justice League). Brie’s old friend from Community, Danny Pudi (Mythic Quest), will play Ally’s old friend Benny. Olga Merediz of Brooklyn Nine-Nine will play JoJo. Haley Joel Osment will play Jeremy. Amy Sedaris (The Mandalorian, Clerks III) will play Deedee. Julie Hagerty (Airplane, Freddy Got Fingered) will play Libby. Ayden Mayeri from Brie’s own movie Spin Me Around will play Kayla. Ted Rooney (Legally Blonde) is Barry. Rochelle Maria Muzquiz (Jason Rising: A Friday the 13th Fan Film) will play Mel. Loudon McCleery will be Brad. Hannah Barefoot (Good Girls Revolt) is Michelle. Phillip Ray Guevara is Ev. Sam Richardson (We’re the Millers, Detroiters) plays Dar. And Zoe Chao (Love Life, Strangers) plays Ramona.

Release Date

     A24

Somebody I Used to Know will be released on Prime Video on February 10.