Sophie Brooks’s Oh Hi drops audiences in the middle of a couple’s rural getaway, with Iris (Molly Gordon) and Isaac (Logan Lerman), and the comical mistiming ramps up, becoming increasingly apparent as the two of them hold fundamentally different views on their relationship, which reflects contemporary dating even if it is homage to Misery for a snarky commitment phobic Millennials all while mixing cringe modern dating and the superficial charm of a rom-com. The cute premise that doesn’t quite work despite a few hit-and-miss sequences. (I chuckled when she called her mom when there was a funny exchange about making her dad marry her, which shows that this was hereditary.)
See Also: ‘The Penguin Lessons’ Review: Uneven Buddy Comedy Both Cute and Contrived
On the surface, Oh, Hi! tries to be kinky, but underneath it is surprisingly tame as it becomes contrived. Your cinematic safe word while watching might be… cliche. Oh, Hi! flirts with both psychological horror and dark comedy, but never fully commits, just like Isaac, stuck in his position. And it is an appropriate metaphor. Men can be trapped into fully committing to a woman with whom they’re not on the same page, as we see a blend of rom-com fervor with disorderly psychological tension. Convince someone to love you, and it traps your own emotions as much as Iris handcuffing Isaac, and that love can be the most frightening mess. They discuss various topics in an attempt to resolve their issues, much like the rest of the movie.
Another couple randomly shows up at the house to get involved: Max (Geraldine Viswanathan), along with her boyfriend, Kenny (John Reynolds), who arrive at the perfect time to inject fresh energy when the movie needs it. They are both very funny, pivoting into a more unpredictable direction. Their arrival is like your friends showing up at a party and reminding you that people can enjoy each other instead of emotionally torturing each other in an awkward standoff. The rest of the plot is unbelievable, and when Iris says this was “ridiculous, out of hand,” it felt too on point about the plot.
Oh, Hi! is now playing in theaters.
