Dave Franco and Alison Brie take a page from the past for their rom-com ‘Somebody I Used to Know’

Just in time for the upcoming Valentine’s Day, it’s a romantic comedy from married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie. He directs, she stars, and they both wrote Somebody I Used to Know, out Friday on Prime Video.

Brie plays a workaholic TV producer who runs into her ex-boyfriend, which makes her question her life choices. Making matters worse, she discovers he’s about to get married. Brie tells ABC Audio she and Franco set out to make a rom-com like the ones they loved growing up.

“…When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle…they are shot like dramas,” she explains. “They’re beautifully acted. The nuance, the writing is excellent. Like at the core, they are just emotional stories about characters in complex relationships.”

Somebody I Used to Know is Franco and Brie’s fourth collaboration, and Franco says the process “[is] usually me at the computer, and…Alison kind of pacing all over the room and me saying, ‘Okay, what would you say in this scenario?’ And her just kind of acting it out and me writing down like word for word what she’s saying and just kind of going back and forth that way.”

Jay Ellis plays the “guy who got away” in the film, and tells ABC Audio that unlike Brie’s character, he’s never been one to romanticize the past.

“I’m like insanely present and future focused. I am very much the there’s no point in crying over spilled milk person. Like, let’s just drink the milk we got. So I’m very much that guy,” he shares. “… This is a dynamic that I don’t walk around with, but exploring that and being able to understand it would be fun.” 

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