Alison Brie and Dave Franco Are Really Stuck “Together” in This Horror Flick
The hotly anticipated feature stars the real-life couple as dysfunctional lovers suffering from a strange affliction.
PHOTO © NEON
The idea in the horror film “Together” isn’t a metaphor, exactly — it’s more like a synonym. Tim (Dave Franco) and Millie (Alison Brie) are stuck together; now, they’re also becoming stuck together.
Figuratively, they’re stuck together due to some big life changes. Millie has taken a teaching job at a remote high school, moving them into a small town hours from their big-city lives — thus putting what may be the final nail in the coffin of Tim’s flagging music career. They “took the plunge,” as Millie’s Facebook status declares, buying a house that will lock them into a relationship neither seems all that happy with.
Literally, they’re stuck together — or at least gradually sticking. After they tumble into a subterranean cave during a hike, they wake up to find their legs are partially fused together. (Other body parts will experience the same phenomenon before they work out what’s going on.)
There’s an explanation, of sorts, in the third act. But while some supernatural thrillers use grounded dynamics to weave tales of horror, “Together” more uses horror to underline its commentary on real life. Relationships can be difficult, after all — particularly when you don’t have the luxury of space for yourself.
“Together” is written and directed by the debuting Michael Shanks, and he has a knack for escalating tension and visual drama; his storytelling, on the other hand, needs a bit of work. It would be much easier to accept the dilemma Millie finds herself in if we were given anything at all to like about Tim (a problem made more stark by the uncomfortable fact that Brie is a much stronger performer than Franco, her real-life husband).
You’ll certainly be satisfied by the appropriately shocking conclusion to “Together,” even if it’s less an earned product of the story and more an unmotivated display of flesh fireworks. On the (fused) nose though its story may be, “Together” is altogether relatable; who hasn’t felt like their partner was getting under their skin?
My Rating: 7/10
“Together” is now playing in theaters.
