Surprisingly, Dave Franco and Alison Brie's combined strengths make Somebody I Used to Know far more affecting than funny - and it ends up working. aurora_amidon's review:
Ally 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 hybridis 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 . Almost immediately after touching down in Leavenworth, Ally spots her high school sweetheart, Sean , at the local bar.
There is one problem, though: Sean is engaged to punk-rock badass Cassidy , 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.
Brie’s co-stars don’t quite manage to meet her on that compassionate, clumsy tightrope. Ellis plays opposite her a littlestraight 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.
Other characters land too far on the other side of the spectrum from Sean: Painfully desperate for laughs. The wonderful Haley Joel Osment, for example, is confined to a bizarre comic relief role whose only defining characteristic is that he makes strange noises and insists on doing John Cleese-style silly walks for no apparent reason. Hagerty is assigned a similarly hollow role, playing the mother whom Ally can’t seem to stop walking in on mid-coitus.
But these characters aren’t the only ones who try too hard for a chuckle.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Somebody I Used to Know Writer/Director Dave Franco Details Diving Into the Rom-Com RealmDirector/co-writer of SomebodyIUsedToKnow DaveFranco talks diving into the world of rom-com filmmaking.
Read more »
‘Magic Mike’s Last Dance,’ ‘Titanic’ re-release top list of new films this week'Somebody I Used to Know' and 'Your Place or Mine' lead the options for streaming.
Read more »
Dave McKean To Dave Gibbons, Comica London Comics Festival In MarchDave McKean & Dave Gibbons- Comica London Comics Festival In March davegibbons90 DaveMcKean Aiannucci richjohnston BollandBrian alexmasterley lizzystewart patwalterstv Ivankarsp LucySullivanUK MartinRowson tim_pilcher paul_gravett CenturySoho
Read more »
Dave Franco Talks Directing ‘Somebody I Used to Know’ & How Alison Brie’s Inner Nudist Made Its Way Into the StoryWe spoke w/ Dave Franco about directing SomebodyIUsedToKnow, how Alison Brie's inner nudist made its way into the story, and wanting to collaborate with his wife again soon.
Read more »
DKNY Launches ‘If You Know You Know’ CampaignDKNY, which is owned by G-III Apparel Group Ltd., is writing a love letter to New York City with its new spring campaign titled “If You Know You Know.”
Read more »