It is always heartwarming to come across a decently written romantic drama that does not go too far with the drama and delivers exactly by the said characters. “Somebody I Used to Know” is sort of like a coming-of-age romantic drama where certain characters revisit their past to understand what they did right, what went wrong, and how a decision they made changed their lives. Did things change for good or bad?
Spoilers Ahead
Ally Is Back In Leavenworth
Ally works as a producer and an interviewer for a cooking television reality show called Desert Island. She is in the process of interviewing the twice winner, the chef of the show. But to bring more ratings, Ally decides to question the chef about his personal life. She questions him in such a manner that he will reveal the drama going on in his life, which will eventually attract more audience. Ally is successful in bringing out the vulnerable side of the chef, who ends up tearing up during the interview when asked about his divorce. This makes Ally’s plan successful, but unfortunately for her, the executives from the network let her know that they will have to cancel this show after the current season because of bad ratings. This leaves Ally devastated and upset, for she has never been rejected before. Ally has been a workaholic for the past few years, and she has given all her might to this reality television show. The show being canceled would mean a part of her going away, even though the show was considered only cheesy reality television by many. Ally tries to hang around in Los Angeles, hoping to come up with better shows, but she can’t think of anything here. Ally’s boss asks her to take a break from work and get some fresh air, which will help her clear her head. Ally always wanted to be a part of the film industry, but not being able to work puts her in a bad state of mind. She eventually decides to head back home to the town of Leavenworth to refresh her mind and make sure she comes back with a fresh perspective.
On reaching her hometown, she runs into her ex-boyfriend at a local bar, and they start reminiscing about their lives since the breakup. They also talk about their work and where their lives have taken them professionally. Sean and Ally end up spending a good 12 hours with each other around the town doing goofy things up till the next day, early morning. All this while they spend, Ally ends up confessing that she missed the show. Sean sympathizes with Ally. In the excitement of seeing Sean and hoping maybe there is something left between them, she kisses him. He is taken aback and politely turns her down. Ally thought she and him had a good time in the last few hours. She was hoping to take this one step further, and with that understanding, she’d initiated the kiss. But his lack of interest confused her. Intending to apologize to him, Ally heads to his home, which he built from scratch. Ally reaches his place, and it is all a throwback, for she ends up meeting their childhood friend Benny and his mother after years. She is extremely happy to have run into Sean’s brother too, who introduces her to his family as well. It is during lunch that Ally comes to know that Sean and Cassidy (his girlfriend) are engaged to be married, and that’s the reason the whole of his family and friends have gathered for the weekend. Ally is shocked and feels awkward to have received this piece of news from his mother at the lunch table instead of hearing it from Sean directly. Ally feels stupid for thinking Sean would wait for her when she kissed him and forgot about the fact that he has a life and that he probably had a partner who supports him and vice versa. This solves the puzzle of Sean not kissing her back.
Ending Explained – Do Cassidy And Sean Break Up?
Ally is surely taken aback by the news of Sean’s marriage this weekend, and Sean runs up to her to apologize and clear the air about the time they spent and not revealing anything about his engagement and upcoming marriage to Cassidy. Ally understands his predicament and tries to leave when she is asked by his mother to shoot the behind-the-scenes of the wedding and the actual wedding as well. Ally is not sure if she should take up this offer at all. She is now registering the fact that Sean is moving on. Benny and Ally talk about how she did not see the signs when she spent the entire night with Sean. Benny reveals that Sean and Cassidy met on Bumble, and that they have been together for six months. Benny also reveals that Sean saw Ally’s picture of being in town on some other friend’s social media page and sought her out with the hope of reconnecting with her. Ally takes this as a sign that he does not love his fiancé and that he wants Ally. Ally sees a positive indication here and informs Benny that she will join the wedding gang, as she thinks she has a shot with Sean, and she has a feeling that Sean wants her too. In the hope of splitting them apart, Ally first comes for the pre-wedding gathering.
Cassidy, on the other hand, can see through Ally and what she is trying to do, but she does not let Ally get to her head. She feels secure enough around Sean, but she is slightly jealous of Ally being there. She does not overthink any of it because she cannot let Ally interfere in the wedding in a few days. Cassidy is all accommodative of Ally being part of the wedding gang now, and she acts all cool for the sake of Sean. Cassidy is surely taken aback by Ally’s interest in their wedding. This puts her on the back foot and makes her wonder what Ally’s game plan is. Cassidy and her friends, who have been in a band for the past few years, perform for the last time at the local bar in Leavenworth as a part of the family gathering just before the wedding. Ally is surprised to know why Cassidy gave up on her dream of singing with the band. Cassidy finally confides in Ally that she suspects she is planning to pull the “My Best Friend’s Wedding” maneuver on her and Sean. Ally denies wanting Sean and asserts the fact he loves Cassidy and not her. Cassidy’s fear is justified, and Ally, at this point, finds herself having the upper hand over Sean. Ally’s only pro in this matter is that she knows Sean better than Cassidy does, and they have a history of being together for a long time before Ally decided to call it quits and move to Los Angeles. Ally talks about Cassidy’s plan to quit the band and the reasons behind it. Cassidy reveals that Sean is big on family, and she loves him, so she is quitting the band to be with him and his family. Ally senses that quitting the band is a bigger deal for her than she is letting on, and she can also sense a déjà vu of what is going to happen to Sean all over again.
Ally learns from Sean and Sean’s mother about Cassidy’s parents, with whom she has not shared a pleasant relationship. Even though Sean wants her parents to be at her wedding, she makes it clear she has not spoken to them in years, and she does not intend to in the coming years. Sean wants her to think about how she would feel if her parents weren’t there for her wedding a few years from now. Cassidy also reveals to Ally that she lied to Sean about her parents not wanting to come to a wedding when the truth is she never invited them to the wedding. Cassidy is bisexual, and she has revealed that to Sean as well. There is tension regarding her sexuality between her and her parents, which makes it difficult for her to be around them. Cassidy is sensitive about her parents’ matters, while Sean, on the other hand, is big on family and how they should be close. Sean was adopted by his parents, and he always wanted to know who his biological parents were. Cassidy understands his predicament, but she knows her parents too well, and she has vowed not to let them be a part of her life.
Ally decides to mess with their relationship by anonymously inviting Cassidy’s parents to the wedding. Unaware of any of them, Ally starts messing with Cassidy by asking why she is finding it difficult to choose between Sean and her love for music. Ally comes across as a confidante because she says all of this is eerily similar to what happened when she and Sean broke up. She chose to leave the town to become a documentary filmmaker, which she thought was her calling. Sean did not want that, but he was in no position to stop her, and that’s why they broke up. Ally confesses to understanding Cassidy’s situation. Even though Ally understands Cassidy’s state of mind, she takes full advantage of it to make sure they finally start asking each other questions and eventually break up. Cassidy, on the other hand, reveals that they got engaged because they thought Cassidy was pregnant. When they realized it was a false alarm, they never talked about it and continued remaining engaged to be married. Ally is again taken aback by the circumstances under which they both got engaged, which gives her further ammunition to sabotage their engagement. Ally goes around looking for reasons to prove why Sean and Cassidy shouldn’t get married, with the hope that the breakup will bring him back to her. Ally is hung up on Sean, and even though she let him go previously, she wants to rectify that mistake by being with him and showing him the real Ally. Ally has received an offer to pick up her canceled show on some other network. With Sean and Cassidy’s wedding on the verge of breaking, if Ally again takes up the job, she will not get to get back together with him. Ally is confused about what she must do from here on. She does not feel guilty, but she feels bad for putting herself and Sean in the same situation as before, which is unfair.
At the rehearsal dinner, Sean is very close to confessing his feelings for Ally and letting go of Cassidy when Cassidy’s parents show up at the wedding, which makes Cassidy livid. Cassidy thinks Sean invited them, and she breaks up with him immediately. She confronts Sean about him wanting everything as per his wishes and never bothered to consult her before making a big decision, like inviting her parents when she specifically told him not to. Cassidy feels overwhelmed by the fact that Sean just takes over and makes decisions for all of them without keeping Cassidy in the loop about it. Cassidy had to leave her band to accommodate Sean’s dream of having a family together, which she thinks was a big step she took, considering music is a big part of her life. She would only expect Sean to be as accommodating as he expects her to be. Ally is taken aback by Cassidy’s reaction, and she feels guilty for causing this disruption. Sean speaks to Ally and hopes that she will understand him and probably be there for him. Ally makes it clear that Sean expects women in his life to make big sacrifices so that in the future, their family life is secured, but he never asks what the partner wants from him. She confesses to Cassidy being terrified of sharing her plans with him because she feels he wouldn’t understand that.
Ally also reveals she knows Sean sought her out at the bar, and it was not the other way around. So, to make things right with Cassidy, he needs to make sure he gives her what she wants instead of wandering around hanging out with an ex, hoping she will be the shoulder to cry on. Sean is furious at her for leaving him midway, but she makes it clear that she will be choosing her career again, so he better make things right with Cassidy. Ally meets Cassidy and asks her to put her foot down on what she wants Sean to understand. If music is her calling, she should follow, and Sean will have to deal with it if he truly loves her. Cassidy is happy to receive her support, and Ally also realizes Cassidy is too young to be giving up on her love for music, and Sean will have to change the way he expects women in his life to behave. Sean is not exactly a bad person, but his abandonment issues are caused by his biological parents. Sean makes amends with Cassidy and conveys his love for her, which means he understands her love for music. Music is part of who she is, and he will never dare change that. Cassidy agrees to the marriage on her terms, and they decide to go ahead with the wedding. Ally reveals that it was she who invited Cassidy’s parents, but she apologizes. Ally does not attend the wedding because she knows it is their moment, and they need to do what they have to do without any tension between them. Ally walking away was the best thing she could do. Ally cries her heart out only to realize she needs this closure for her to finally move on from Sean. Ally gives her rebooted show to her colleague to run, and she finally takes up the concept she always wanted to work on. A documentary on the nudist province, where men and women live without any inhibitions stopping them, which includes their clothes. Ally is content with what she is currently indulging in, and she is happy to see people around her happy, including her mother, Sean, and Cassidy, who are also on the way to becoming parents soon.
Final Thoughts
“Somebody I Used to Know,” written by Alison Brie, is a refreshing take on relationships, and it is another version of “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” but thankfully, here the lead does come to terms with the fact that she cannot remain selfish just for a moment of intimacy she thought she shared with her ex-boyfriend. Because the movie was written partly by a woman, we get to see women empowering women and not pulling anyone down in the name of love. Ally advises Cassidy to put her foot down on what she wants from Sean. This proves Ally understands Cassidy need not lose herself in the process of being with someone she loves. Sean lost Ally first, for she chose her work over him. She cannot let that happen to him and Cassidy all over again. All of these traits that writer-director Dave Franco and Alison Brie include, which is storytelling from a female perspective. “Somebody I Used to Know” is an engaging tale of moving on, which is directed well. Dave Franco delves deeper into personal space by showcasing the kind of love Sean and Ally used to share earlier and the love Cassidy and Sean share right now. It is beautifully intimate. Ally’s likeness as a nudist is also showcased without any judgment. The screenplay is simple and uncomplicated, which makes the viewing process rather effortless. Dave Franco has not delivered the movie of the year, but “Somebody I Used to Know” is a good watch that leaves you with a smile by the end of it.