Somebody I Used to Know and Your Place or Mine – Movie Reviews

February 14, 2023February 17, 2023 Billy Lawrence and Bobby Mack 0 Comments English Movies, Hollywood, Hollywood Movie Reviews, Hollywood Movies, Somebody I Used to Know, Your Place or Mine

I didn’t know what to expect from Somebody I Used to Know because I have not seen Dave Franco’s previous work, but I had seen some movies Alison Brie has written, namely her collaborations with Jeff Baena. At first, it had some comparable qualities to those films, which made me nervous as someone who doesn’t love those movies, but I actually found a lot of enjoyment here as the film went on.

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Most of the cast of Somebody I Used to Know was great, even if not all of them were used to their potential. I liked Kiersey Clemons a lot, she had a significant part to play. And it was great to see Danny Pudi and Haley Joel Osment, but they, unfortunately, were not given a ton, I actually expected to see more of them and for the story to tie into them again, which is very unfortunate cause they were highlights in the few scenes they’re present. And Jay Ellis is pretty good, although his character is hard to like.

And that is where this movie tows a line—the characters can be pretty unbearable at times, and some of the interactions have that Jeff Baena awkwardness to them, but it works pretty well in the context. The humor is decent, there are some funny callbacks, and the drama is well done. But there were some offbeat moments I didn’t love—there’s a story beat almost exactly like it was in Brie’s previous film, and it just did not work in the context, it’s not established, and once it happens, it’s never brought up again. While the movie has some levity and fun to it, it’s far from perfect. It’s Alison Brie’s best-written film and is a good enough time.

‘Somebody I Used to Know’ Rating – 3/5

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Directed by Aline Brosh McKenna, Your Place or Mine revolves around two long-distance friends who switch homes for a week while one pursues her education dream and the other offers to watch her child. Let’s begin with the positives, this movie mixes simple humor, awkward situations, and happy moments that you would expect in any rom-com, and some of the comedy does work. Furthermore, Reese Witherspoon being a mother is something she eases into as she ages with being the frantic mother on-screen. It felt like it was a culmination of a lot of previous characters overdoing and overthinking everything. She was entertaining and what you’d expect.

Moving on to the negatives, there was something off about the relationship between the two leads. First, you had Peter (Kutcher) literally obsessing over someone for twenty-plus years and not having the other aware of anything. However, as this movie played out using the basic rom-com formula, it felt like Debbie (Witherspoon) was settling because she found out someone liked her rather than love blossoming. Chalk this up to weaker writing/editing as the story could have met more in the middle with the two.

I’ve always struggled with Ashton Kutcher’s performances as he comes off really weird a lot. He just speaks awkwardly or feels forced and he gives an aura of not trying. Tie into the fact that his character had a twenty-year crush as I mentioned and you can’t help but question the character rather than cheer for him. I didn’t mind how some aspects played off with the leads talking on the phone or video calls but there was no spark between Witherspoon and Kutcher. They did look like friends but at no point did I think these two should be a couple.

There were a lot of misses in this movie but it is watchable for a valentines or date night movie. You honestly can’t expect much from this when watching, but the gaps are pretty noticeable. The movie really missed the mark by showing us the twenty years between the two and have you see why the two needed to be together. This movie gives more of a creepy and someone-settling vibe rather than a nice love story. If you like the top two or rom-com give it a watch, if not put it well behind you. It a weak but entertaining enough.