SOMEBODY I USED TO KNOW: THIS ROM-COM IS NOT LIKE THE OTHERS

Somebody I Used to Know is an American Romantic Comedy film directed by Dave Franco and co-written with his wife Alison Brie, about a workaholic reality tv producer who takes a trip to her hometown and reminisces with her ex, leading her to question everything about the person she’s become. The film stars Brie, Jay Ellis, and Kiersey Clemons. It was released on Amazon Prime Video on February 10, 2023.

The film currently has an impressive 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 87 reviews), with a much more mundane Audience Score at 61% (based on over 250 ratings). It also has a Metascore of 57 (based on only 18 critic reviews) on Metacritic, with a User Score of 4.9 (based on only 14 Ratings) and a 5.7/10 on IMDB (based on almost 7,200 reviews).

This film is being billed as a Romantic Comedy, but I have to say, it was pretty light on the comedy part. Though there were certainly some funny parts, in the grand scheme of things they were few and far between, which, in my mind, makes this film more drama than anything else. The premise is one that we’ve seen before, but what makes this film stand apart from other films that might have been like it is the interracial aspect of the past relationship between Ally (played by Brie) and Sean (played by Ellis).

At the risk of veering into uncomfortable territory, I honestly think this film would have played better without the main character’s past relationship being an interracial one, because Sean’s background was just a bit hard to believe for me. And though, as the story continues to unfold, you can see that the film has some potential, but it manages to fall flat towards the end because of the way Ellis’ character was handled by Brie and Franco.

The performances of the cast were exceptional (including Ellis, who I think did the best he could with what he was given to work with), though I don’t think he was a good fit for this particular film. And in the end, I just didn’t like the way his character was scapegoated, all so that Ally and Cassidy (played by Clemmons) could make some pretty selfish choices on their journeys of self-discovery; choices that neither of them are really made to pay for, while at the same time, cannibalizing one of the few black male characters in the story for what seemed like no reason at all. I’m not opposed to a black male character being an asshole in a story, but if he’s meant to play the role of a jerk, maybe make it a point to make sure to write him that way, so we’re all in on the play.

All things considered, this film is a pretty easy watch. It’s a Hallmark film except when it’s not. I say all of that to say, that it could have been better, maybe with a few more scenes added for a bit more character development for Sean. But if you’re looking for something to watch with your partner on a lazy Sunday afternoon, this one should do the trick.

The film is currently available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video (with subscription).