Dave Franco and Alison Brie were in Palo Alto, tracing their steps from Franco’s old high school back to his mother’s house, kicking around ideas for their latest screen partnership.

There was something about being home, Brie recalled, that spoke to their next project.

“We were tapping into this idea of being back in your hometown, seeing the people that you used to know and how that makes you feel about your own life,” Brie said in a recent interview with The Chronicle, on the phone with Franco from the couple’s hotel room in Chicago.

The husband-and-wife team knew they wanted it to be a romantic comedy — something that evoked ’80s and ’90s-era classics such as “When Harry Met Sally,” “Sleepless in Seattle” and “My Best Friend’s Wedding.” They wanted a movie influenced by the genre but updated with a modern take.

The resulting film is “Somebody I Used to Know,” directed by Franco and co-written by Brie, who stars opposite Jay Ellis (“Insecure”), a charming rom-com that both pays homage to and upends the genre’s classic tropes. The film premieres Friday, Feb. 10, on Prime Video. It also stars Julie Hagerty (“Airplane!”) as Brie’s onscreen mother, and Brie’s former “Community” co-star Danny Pudi as a wary longtime mutual friend she shares with her ex.

Review: Alison Brie is almost evil in ‘Somebody I Used to Know’

Brie plays Ally, a tenacious reality TV producer who, upon learning her show has been canceled, decides to return home to figure out what comes next. While there, she runs into her ex Sean (Ellis), only to find out he’s about to marry his new girlfriend Cassidy (Kiersey Clemons).

Cassidy reminds Ally of her younger self, and their journey in the film rethinks the typical rom-com love triangle, fashioning it into something fresher — edgier even — as everyone reconsiders their life choices. It’s a film as much about finding oneself than finding a partner — a romantic comedy about self-acceptance.

Although “Somebody I Used to Know” was informed by their trip home, Franco says it’s not necessarily rooted in nostalgia.

“I’m sure there’s some of that subconsciously seeping into the story, but I go home (regularly) so it doesn’t feel too jarring when I return,” he said. “It feels like the version of me growing up isn’t all that different from me now.”

Brie echoes his sentiment. The actress, born and raised in Los Angeles, only lives 20 minutes away from her mother. “Neither of us have really had that thing where we were like, ‘I’ve got to escape this town and never come back.’ ”

Rather, she says, “Somebody I Used to Know” is less about longing for a place, but instead a wistful look back at one’s younger self.

“I think we can all relate to hitting this moment in life when you realize you’re no longer working toward what your life is going to be, but that you’ve arrived at where it is,” she said.

Franco sees the film as a commentary on letting go of those things that no longer serve us well.

“I think we can all relate to (those) moments in our lives and careers where you start to feel as if you’re holding on to everything a little too tight,” he said. “And maybe you’re scared that it will all go away.”

In a way, Franco added, such a mindset is one of the reasons he got into directing.

“It’s something I wanted to do for a long time, but I was scared,” he said. “Finally, I said, ‘I know I’m putting myself in a vulnerable position, but I’ve got to go for it.’”

Franco’s feature directing debut was the 2020 mystery “The Rental,” which he also co-wrote. The film, which starred Brie, marked the couple’s inaugural film as director and actor, but not their first creative endeavor together. Previously, the pair starred in “The Little Hours” and “The Disaster Artist” together, both released in 2017.

On set, Brie says, the couple’s working relationship mirrors their personal dynamic.

“We’re very similar in how we work, and so it all just fits,” she said. “I know that when I’m on set with him, I’ll be taken care of — he’s the most collaborative person I know, and he wants everyone to shine.”

The two already have some new ideas in development. Each collaborative effort, Franco says, has served as a building block for the next.

“We’ve learned that we trust each other inherently on set — we really believe in each other,” Franco said. “We’ve also learned that it’s just nice to have an emotional partner on set.”

“Somebody I Used to Know” (R) premieres Friday, Feb. 10, on Prime Video.