“Somebody I Used To Know” looks like a total departure from Franco’s last directorial project, a horror film called “The Rental” that also co-starred his partner Brie. While that film starts out with an infidelity subplot, it quickly turns into a harrowing thriller set at an Airbnb-type rental where the residents seem to be being watched. This time around, though, nobody is watching Ally and Sean, except maybe Sean’s fiancée Cassidy (Clemons), who tells Ally she can’t “kick out one of Sean’s oldest friends.”
That statement actually seems pretty sincere, since “Somebody I Used To Know” so far reads more like an indie romantic comedy about self-discovery than a heightened drama about jealousy and lies. In later scenes, Cassidy and Ally go streaking on a golf course and share their own moment of closeness. Still, there’s plenty of drama to be had, given that the plot seems to be about Ally’s willingness to pursue an affair with Sean when he’s about to tie the knot with someone who seems all-around nice.
This project marks the third with a script co-written by Brie, whose two previously produced screenplays shared credits with writer-director Jeff Baena. The first, “Horse Girl,” was a 2020 release that /Film’s Chris Evangelista called a “strange, unclassifiable comedy-drama-thriller.” Brie followed that film up with “Spin Me Round,” a romantic comedy thriller co-starring the writer-actress, Aubrey Plaza, and Alessandro Nivola.
“Somebody I Used To Know” hits Prime Video on February 10, 2023.