Jemand, den ich mal kannte

I tried to get through Somebody That I Use Know, but it was a struggle. Actually, I gave up after an hour and fifteen minutes. I am certain I saw enough to know I did not care for it. No spoilers here. I won't rehash what other reviewers have correctly pointed out about this film's abundant weak points. For me, the worst part was not being able to appreciate any of the relationships portrayed in this saga. On a more positive note, the locations were really beautiful Also, I can honestly say that the only two characters with legitimate chemistry were Alison Brie and Danny Pudi (real life friends from their years on Community).

Ally (Alison Brie) runs a superficial reality-TV show. When it gets canceled, she feels empty and decides to go home to visit her mother. She runs into her ex Sean (Jay Ellis) whom she dumped to go to Hollywood. She starts questioning her choosen path.

This starts like a Hallmark rom-com. I didn't get Alison Brie doing something like that. My hopes got raised with the two "That B". I thought it was Game On. Instead, the story chooses a sincere and sweeter path. It's more than Hallmark, but still very much a version of rom-com. Brie is the co-writer with husband Dave Franco and he's directing.

Dave Franco's sophomore directorial has a definite flow and some interestingly grey-shaded protagonists. Where it doesn't stick is in its first act (the whole "Do I hate my job?" aspect isn't called out well enough) and the somewhat rushed finale, with everything getting sorted out so easily. The middle section, however, had me completely invested. The writing by Dave and Alison tries hard not to succumb to some derivative tropes of the steal-your-guy genre but it ends up doing just that. That said, the film does offer some moments of shine as the leads are well-written and performed, and even some of the supporting cast (featuring the likes of Danny Pudi and Julie Hagerty) adds on. To brand this film an all-out romantic comedy isn't exactly correct - it's more of a romantic drama with bits of organic humour added unevenly.

"Somebody I Used to Know" is slightly better than other Amazon rom-com efforts but still falls flat. What charm this movie has is mostly driven by grounded characters + the cast and lead's solid chemistry. Other than that it basically follows the bad romcom formula to a T:

• The 'likeable'/'relatable' lead character is actually unlikable due to their abhorrent actions
• It is mostly directionless and relies heavily on ridiculous drama driven by characters refusing to communicate. Outside of Ally there is basically no organic character/relationship development
• It heavily relies on childish gross-out/nudity/sex driven humor that isn't funny if you're over the age of 15

All of the above combined with a 15 minute too long runtime and the writers thinking people in their mid-30s acting like teenagers is somehow charming results in something 'watchable' but not very engaging.

If you liked Community you might enjoy the novelty of seeing Alison Brie and Danny Pudi on screen again. Otherwise, there's not much point in watching this.

This one's really weird with a pretty predictable storyline. I think this is the first movie where the wronged party (the fiancee) literally provides the so-called heroine with ALL of the ammunition to use against her. Who does that?! While this one has shades of My Best Friend's Wedding, the big difference is that you really don't get invested in any of the characters because none of them are likeable. I just didn't feel the love with any part of this triangle. It was all overly contrived. It's also extremely uncomfortable how the fiance has told EVERYBODY in town her business in the short 6 months she's dated this guy and they're all passing it around like party favors on the eve of the wedding. Every time we see the ex-girlfriend stalking the couple like chewed up, spit out karmic gum on a shoe while pretending to be a videographer, it makes less and less sense. If the groom didn't get rid of her, the bride-to-be should have made it clear that she was NOT welcomed. Note to anyone confused: You should NOT be at your ex's wedding as a single. That's not about insecurity, it's about the energy especially when she looks like a thirsty stripper in every scene. Even a couple of so-called emotional scenes can't save this one. And why was the lesbian hint thrown in?? Too much stuff in the soup without enough quality ingredients. On the bright side, it is a little bit better than Shotgun Wedding. Not by much though.