Together is the body horror rom-com we did not expect. This film is a slow burn, and you will be thankful it takes its time because there’s no right way to rush into a couple’s therapy horror like this. It’s the codependency cautionary tale of the year. Not only is the film’s tense nature something to review, but the lawsuit attached to it is bringing the film some not-so-savory publicity and controversy. This review will be light on the spoilers; you’ll want to see this with your own eyes.
“Say You’ll Be There”
The horomedy (horror comedy 😉) follows Tim and Millie as they uproot their lives to move from Brooklyn, NYC, to what seems to be rural upstate New York. While there, they encounter a supernatural force that begins testing the very boundaries of their emotional and physical state as a couple. The premise says – what happens when you’re so codependent in your relationship that you and your partner literally begin to fuse bodies. The film stars comedy actors Alison Brie as Millie (Annie from the TV show Community) and Dave Franco as Tim (Pete from the movie Neighbors).
The film sets a classic horror foundation right from the beginning: missing persons, creepy caves, and animals acting funky. But we’re introduced to Tim and Millie at what is supposed to be a joyous send-off for the “happy” couple as they move upstate for Millie’s new teaching job. We can right away see the cracks in their relationship loud and clear. Tim has been dealing with some unresolved childhood trauma that presents itself in classic horror form (I won’t say how you should watch)! Millie’s people-pleasing and avoidance issues make her sacrifice a bit too much to keep from falling apart. Now our couple has a myriad of issues to work through, and moving to a secluded location is not going to fix this. With great cinematography, our couple is then thrown right into east bum-fk.
“Spice Up Your Life”
One morning, they explore the great trails in the area they’ve been hearing all about. On the adventurous hike, they find themselves lost because when city folk journey into the woods, it never ends well. They become trapped in a mysterious, cult-like cavern, and they are forced to spend the night exposed to supernatural forces.
After making their way out and back home, weird things start to happen. Tim cannot physically be without Millie; the pain is palpable and physically undeniable. We watch as the couple skin-to-skin slowly becomes more and more Cronenberg by the day.
The film does a fantastic job blending its weighted tone with comical circumstance. Clearly, the stakes are high when some invisible force is making you meld into your partner’s body, but also – WTH!? Can we never kiss? Will every hug turn into needing surgery to separate? It is a clever way to address the ways in which we sacrifice for our partners just to continue to be connected, even when it feels like separating is the healthy route. If you have deep-seated issues that have gone unspoken for much too long, you should absolutely see this with your partner. Be ready to feel like laughing, but be horrifically creeped out at the same time.
The twisted body horror of this film literally pulls your eyes open, and you want to look away, but you can’t. The movie has perfect timing. A solid, intriguing story of folklore and a clear metaphor that all work very well with each other, giving a balanced dose of skin-crawling cinema. The stunts and body work alone are masterful and hilarious. These two are perfect together and getting into the bonding antics they get into is something to experience.
Now I am so late on this, but before seeing this film, I did not know Alison Brie and Dave Franco were married (not sure where I have been since 2017…). So now you know if you didn’t already, and your viewing experience will be that more enhanced.
“Wannabe”
Which brings me to the four-eyed dog in the room. The film is receiving some backlash due to the allegations of copyright infringement for welp…the whole entire movie. The production, financing, and distribution company “Studiofest,” along with the creators of the indie film Better Half, are suing William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME), Neon, Dave, and Alison. The legal papers published in an article by Deadline stated, “Defendants lifted wholesale creative elements, including but not limited to, plot, themes, characters, dialogue, mood, setting, pace, and sequence of events.” Both films, Better Half and Together, center around a couple who have codependency issues physically fusing together.
Now, that premise in itself is not a sueable offense. The idea that someone wrote a film or any piece of entertainment about a couple fusing as a metaphor for codependency has probably been thought of a million times before. The issue lies within a couple of factors. One being the writer and director of Better Half, Patrick Henry Phelan, literally pitched the film to Dave Franco and Alison Brie via their agency William Morris Endeavor to star in the film prior to the film Together being made. Better Half was written in 2019 and pitched to Alison Brie and Dave Franco in 2020. WME and Dave passed on the film. This is where it gets tricky. Better Half continues on their journey, making their film with two different actors and releasing it at film festivals with StudioFest in 2023. This means the film Better Half came out almost two years before Together.
Dave and Alison get pitched Together with WME using one of its own Writer/Directors, Michael Shanks, at the helm. The optics just keep getting worse. I myself felt that maybe it’s not explicitly the actors’ at fault. As a filmmaker myself, we all know that pitching a script to a talent agency does not mean the actors themselves read the script. BUT Dave and Alison are listed as producers on Together, and it states that reps at WME were sent the script of Better Half back in 2020 for them and Dave to review, and they responded, saying that Dave was going to pass.
“Who Do You Think You Are”
Michael Shanks responded, claiming there is no way this was copied from the film Better Half, because he used personal life experience over years of writing to come up with the concept and content of the script and film. Variety quoted the Together writer and director as saying, “To have this called into question is not only deeply upsetting but entirely untrue,” … “To now be accused of stealing this story — one so deeply based on my own lived experience, one I’ve developed over the course of several years — is devastating and has taken a heavy toll.”
It feels like Shanks wrote a film very similar to Phelan’s film Better Half, and maybe this is all just a coincidence. The only problem is – WME knew a similar film was pitched to the same exact couple and passed on just a couple of years before. Additionally, the legal documents list a series of similarities down to Plato’s text referenced in both films and frame-for-frame shots. EEEK!
What does this truly mean? In my opinion, it would be wild to steal a film, plot for plot, word for word, and shot for shot. Especially one pitched to the same leads! Either way, it does not look good for the film Together. That list of similarities is long and specific. I was unable to find a copy of the film Better Half to make my own comparisons. All I have to go off of is this…Both films have one character who is a teacher and the other a struggling musician. Both films use Plato’s Symposium as one of the explanations for fusing. Both films have an intimate bathroom scene, which I will not spoil. Both films reference the Spice Girls. That last one seems to be one of the biggest elements focused on by fans and Reddit. That one is the least of their worries, really. Both films use the same angled shot (referenced above) for promo. The list goes on.
“SPICE” Not Spice World
I obviously do not agree with plagiarism in film. I truly was hoping for the mere coincidence of two similar ideas being made at similar times. Sadly, it seems to be more than that. Also… I still think Together is an excellently done film. It also doesn’t deter me from wanting to watch the film Better Half. I honestly wish that the suit and popularity around Together sparks a strong desire to see the “original” Better Half. The industry is a wild place that we seem to all believe sometimes has strong morals and ethics, and every day we get reminded it’s really a bunch of people who want to make money mixed with artists who really want to tell a good story without getting traumatized along the way.
You’ll have to check back with me after I’m able to get my hands on a copy of Better Half to give my honest thoughts there. In the meantime, let us know what you think. What are your thoughts on the overall film Together? Does the lawsuit have eight legs to stand on? Let us know in the comments. You can catch Together out now in theaters.
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