Dave Franco and Alison Brie Hit Back: "Together" Isn’t a Copycat, Says Legal Team
So, let’s talk about the controversy swirling around Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s new movie Together . If you’ve heard the name recently, it might not just be because the film is a buzzy Sundance darling — it’s also smack in the middle of a heated legal battle. The couple, alongside filmmaker Michael Shanks, is facing a copyright lawsuit claiming Together ripped off another indie film called Better Half . But their legal team is not backing down and insists the claims are completely unfounded.
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Here’s what’s going on: Better Half , a 2023 romantic comedy by writer-director Patrick Henry Phelan, shares a similar premise with Together — in both stories, a couple becomes physically stuck to each other through a strange force. The producers of Better Half allege they pitched their script to Franco and Brie back in 2020 through their agency, and it was rejected. Fast-forward to 2025, Together premieres at Sundance, is bought by Neon for $17 million, and now Better Half ’s team is accusing them of plagiarism.
But according to Franco and Brie’s lawyer, Nicolas Jampol, the accusations don’t hold up. In a strongly worded letter, he pointed out that Together was not only independently created, but that its concept isn’t even something anyone can claim ownership over — it’s been done before in various forms across films and TV. More importantly, Jampol dropped a critical detail: the script for Together was already registered with the Writers Guild of America in 2019 — a whole year before Better Half was allegedly pitched to the actors.
He argues that while both movies might start with the same quirky idea of people getting stuck together, they go in totally different directions. Better Half leans into comedy, whereas Together is being described as a supernatural body horror film. Think more eerie and disturbing than lighthearted and funny. Even references that seem similar, like the use of the Spice Girls or philosophical nods to Plato’s Symposium , were dismissed as common cultural touchpoints — not original trademarks that could be protected by copyright law.
The plaintiffs, however, aren’t convinced. Their attorney, Daniel Miller, countered with specific scenes he believes are too close for coincidence — like one in which characters, stuck together at the genitals, have to hide from someone in a bathroom. He called the similarities “staggering” and demanded proof of that 2019 draft. He even suggested the defendants are dodging by not sharing those early scripts.
But again, Jampol hit back, warning that if this lawsuit moves forward, his clients will pursue reimbursement for their legal fees. In his words, accusing artists of plagiarism is a serious charge and shouldn’t be tossed around lightly — especially when the projects are so clearly, in his view, not remotely alike.
So here we are. Together is set to hit theaters July 30, while the legal drama surrounding it unfolds in the background. Whether or not this goes to trial, the debate raises a big question that’s been asked many times in Hollywood: when does a shared idea cross the line into infringement? In this case, Franco, Brie, and their team are drawing that line in bold ink — and they’re not budging.
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