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What’s the Lawsuit Between Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s Together and Better Half? Both Sides Argue Over Spice Girls Reference
Dave Franco and Alison Brie's film Together is facing a lawsuit from the creators of Better Half. Here's what the lawsuit is about.
The legal team behind Dave Franco and Alison Brie's upcoming film Together is pushing back hard against plagiarism claims, calling the copyright lawsuit 'baseless' and arguing that the two films are 'not remotely similar.'
Together, which premiered at Sundance in January and was acquired by Neon for a reported USD 17 million, is scheduled for theatrical release on July 30. The lawsuit, filed in May 2025, comes from the producers of the 2023 indie film Better Half, who claim Together is a 'blatant ripoff' of their work.
The dispute centers on the film's central concept: a couple who become physically stuck to each other by a mysterious force. But the legal team representing Together insists that the idea isn't unique or copyrightable.
What are the differences between Together and Better Half?
In a letter dated May 21 obtained by Variety, Together attorney Nicolas Jampol wrote: "Your client does not own this concept. Neither do our clients. It is an unprotectable idea, one that predates all of our clients and has been explored in many films, television shows, and other fictional works."
Jampol stated that while Better Half, written and directed by Patrick Henry Phelan, is a light-hearted comedy, Together is a supernatural body horror thriller. He said that Together is the opposite of Better Half in almost every way.
He also stated that Together screenwriter Michael Shanks registered a draft with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) in 2019, which predates the Better Half script's submission to Brie and Franco's agency in 2020. "Before your client ever submitted a script to WME, Mr. Shanks already had written most of the elements your client now accuses him of stealing," Jampol added.
Here's why the lawsuit is being challenged
According to the complaint, Better Half producers Jess Jacklin and Charles Beale were reportedly stunned when they watched Together at Sundance. They claimed the film copied nearly every unique element of their story, including references to the Spice Girls and Plato's Symposium, details they considered distinctive to their script.
However, Jampol dismissed these points as mere coincidences, stating that the Spice Girls' debut album included the song 2 Become 1, making such a reference unsurprising.
Plaintiffs' attorney Daniel Miller responded in a June 9 letter, confident that a jury would recognize one particular sequence as a direct replication of Better Half's original material. He pointed to scenes in both films where the characters are attached at the genitals and must hide from a romantic interest outside a bathroom.
Miller also questioned why the defense had not shared the earlier screenplay draft they claimed was registered in 2019, arguing that the defendants were trying to justify what he described as apparent similarities, and insisting the evidence would speak for itself.
Jampol urged the plaintiffs to drop the lawsuit, warning that the defense would seek attorneys' fees if the case moved forward. He stated that accusing individuals of copyright infringement, particularly those who have spent their careers creating original work, should not be taken lightly. He added that this was especially important in a case where the two works were, in his view, clearly dissimilar.
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