Despite a relatively quiet release on the Amazon Prime streaming service, Somebody I Used to Know was well received by audiences and critics alike, despite the cutely predictable script and surprising ending. It’s always touching when characters have a happy ending, and not in a “settle down” style, but rather one that makes the character feel good about who they are, even if they end up alone.
The director of this film, Dave Franco, is known for his brilliant ideas for cinema. So, following his principles, in “Somebody I Used to Know” he decided to go through a new path for himself, not fully meeting all the requirements of a standard romantic comedy, not deciding on a template and expected ending, but instead putting the audience face to face with reality , without the hypertrophied and overly radiant endings inherent in idealistic melodramas. Using this approach, Dave Franco manages to tell a seemingly simple story while skillfully keeping everyone interested.
What is Somebody I Used to Know about?
So, according to the plot, the main character named Ellie is a TV producer whose interview-based show dropped in the ratings and was canceled by the network, forcing her to return home to get some rest.
Back in her city, she meets her ex-boyfriend Sean and they reunite during the evening, with Ellie eventually kissing him. The next day, she goes to meet him at his house and, to her surprise, discovers that he, it turns out, is going to marry a girl named Cassidy.
Ellie is shocked and feels very stupid about all this. Before she can leave, she is cornered by Sean’s mother, Joanna, who asks her to be the videographer for the wedding. As Ellie leaves, she tells Sean that she will not accept Joanna’s offer.
However, Ellie’s friend Benny tells her that Sean went to the bar after he saw the photo she posted from there, which means he was looking for her. Although Benny says this as a consolation, Ellie understands it differently. Some of her former feelings for Sean returned, and she felt that they were mutual. With no clear plan in mind, she decides she wants to take part in the wedding.
When she shows up the next day, it’s an awkward moment for everyone, but Ellie states that she’s only there to film their wedding. Cassidy seems to pick up Ellie’s feelings when she sees her with the rest of the family. That evening, Cassidy performs the song with her band, which she says is her last performance.
She then invites Ellie to sing a song for them, which the latter hesitates to do. It’s obvious that Cassidy is embarrassing her, but Ellie rises to the challenge and settles for herself, albeit with initial hesitation.
Later, when Cassidy and Ellie are talking, the former reveals that Sean really wants both of their parents to attend the wedding, but Cassidy doesn’t want that, so she lies to him that her parents aren’t interested in coming, even though she didn’t actually say them that is getting married.
Ellie, who is still a bit obsessed with sabotage, returns home and sends an anonymous email to Cassidy’s parents inviting them to the wedding. The next day, she leaves with the wedding company for the weekend.
While the women are at the spa, Cassidy confronts her about her conflicted feelings about leaving her group. As the two of them take a walk outside, Ellie lies to Cassidy that her best decision was to choose work over family life.
It turns out that they are both former nudists, after which they run naked through the field, enjoying their philosophy, which they rarely demonstrate. Meanwhile, Sean worries that Cassidy might not be happy with the wedding. They got engaged when they thought that Cassidy was pregnant, but after discovering that this was not the case, they did not discuss the matter again. Sean was worried that Cassidy might not enjoy the family life he wanted them to have. He tries to talk to her about it, but he can’t.
As for Ellie, getting closer to Cassidy makes her realize that she might be making a mistake with Sean. During the wedding rehearsal, Ellie plans a series of interviews as part of her video with the bride.
At that moment, Sean shows up for one of them, and as they start talking, Ellie says that Cassidy reminds her of someone she knew. She is referring to herself when she was younger, and Ellie feels that Sean is just trying to recreate what he had with her, using Cassidy as a replacement. Even Sean doubts if these are his true feelings.
After all, he is a man who wants to marry a homebody, but in the end he chooses women who want to reach the heights of success in their field. His whole relationship model is about getting them to give up their dreams for the life of his dreams. Why not just choose a woman who shares his goals, instead of choosing partners who want otherwise?
The Meaning of “Somebody I Used to Know”
In its content, the new romantic comedy Someone I Used To be elegantly entertaining and heartfelt manages to reflect on these deep questions while more than satisfying both the “romantic” and “comedy” parts of the genre.
As the story progresses, it becomes clear that in the title of the film, the definition of “someone” is not her ex-boyfriend, but the main character Ellie herself. As a result, six months after coming to terms with the past, she reconnected with the documentary roots that prompted her to go to Hollywood in the first place, and combined with her youthful passion for nudism, to make a new series exploring this way of perceiving her body.
Also, parallel to the movie’s first scene, and because of her untapped admiration potential where Ellie hyped herself up to use her unnerving eye contact to get the Dessert Island contestant to open up, she brainstorms and decides to undress herself along with the whole by her team to make her final subject feel more at ease instead of being awkward and standing still.
As a consequence, Ellie’s romantic future was never truly in doubt: after all, she is a successful television producer with a stunning appearance. But the further development of the storyline makes it clear that self-confidence is what really ensures long-lasting romantic connections: Ellie’s date is even postponed for a week so that she can visit her mother and stay in touch with her roots, instead of missing again. some years.
Explanation of the ending of “Somebody I Used to Know”
Returning to her room, Ellie learns that her show has been renewed for a fourth season. Before she can celebrate, Sean comes out to meet her. They have a moment after which it becomes apparent that he still has a low opinion of her ambition and is judging her for wanting to get back to her career. Should she have given up everything for him when, just hours later, he marries another girl?
The fight really clears things up for Ellie and she goes to meet Cassidy. She admits to the harsh reality of her job, but tells herself to never give up on herself for a guy. This is a real moment of women’s solidarity as women overcome their differences and learn from each other’s lives and experiences.
Ellie is still in Cassidy’s room the next morning when Sean knocks on the door. Cassidy asks him why he’s here and he apologizes to her. He blames his past experiences for how he acted around her, and Cassidy tells him that she wants to continue being part of her band and touring even after they get married. Sean agrees with all of this.
Honestly, it’s good that Cassidy took the plunge, but Sean’s excuse was pathetic. Either way, Ellie admits to Cassidy that she was the one who invited her parents. Cassidy lets her know it’s not good, but she forgives her nonetheless. After putting everything back in place, Ellie leaves, but not before she and Sean apologize to each other.
Back home, her mother tells her to never stop believing in herself and while she works on it, others will follow her example and understand her. She also mentions that Sean was never the right guy for her. We think he was wrong for Cassidy too, but Ellie gets their wedding video while she’s on the plane.
Ultimately, “Somebody I Used to Know” ends with Ellie continuing to interview people and rapidly moving forward in her career. She sees on social media that Cassidy is pregnant and is touring as she wanted with Sean by her side. Ellie is also asked out on a date by her longtime flame and is definitely on her way to improving her relationship with her mother.
