OH, HI Review

Oh, Hi, is a new romantic comedy/thriller starring Molly Gordon as Iris and Logan Lerman as Isaac. The film is directed by Sophie Brooks. It starts out as a typical honeymoon-phase retreat for Iris and Isaac as they arrive at a secluded farmhouse that he has Airbnb'd for them for the weekend. However, once they're there, and even though Iris is head-over-heels for who she considers her serious boyfriend, she realizes that this is not a serious relationship for Isaac, and maybe he's thinking of it as just a fling.

Once this misunderstanding has revealed itself, Iris decides to chain him to the bed with some kinky toys that they found in the owner's closet. She will not unchain him until he decides that he does actually want to be with her in a long-term relationship. Oh, Hi is pretty hilarious. It is one of the funnier movies I've seen so far this year. It does feature a pretty interesting under-the-surface commentary on dating, especially in the modern world, and relationships.

It's surprisingly heartfelt in the way that it portrays Iris in her quest for a soulmate; how she has been influenced by the traditional love stories of her parents, for sure, but more so the movies and romance novels. At the end of the day, she just wants to be happy. On the flip side, Isaac wants to avoid commitment and getting too close because he fears heartbreak. So they actually both want the same thing - simply put, love. It is their approach or avoidance of this end goal that gets in their respective ways.

The only main issue I have with this film, really the only negative, is that it fails to balance the multiple tones that it's promoting. The first act of the film is essentially a couple falling in love almost as if it were out of a Nancy Meyers story. The middle portion of the film turns somewhat dark, almost akin to Stephen King's "Misery" when she has Isaac chained to the bed for over 24 hours in an effort to get him to basically change his emotional attachment to her.

And then, in the final act of the film, it turns into a bit of a slapstick comedy when some of our supporting characters show up, Max and Kenny, played hilariously by Geraldine Viswathian and John Reynolds. And while the funniest parts of the movie came in the last hour or so with these other characters involved, it did seem like it was almost three different films in one runtime.

In conclusion, I can wholeheartedly recommend Oh, Hi as a wonderful kind of lighthearted approach to telling a story of dating in the Tinder-era, but it also has enough darkness within the storyline to also keep the sickos invested. It is actually one-of-a-kind. It's almost like if Misery were a romantic comedy, which of course it's not. So for the uniqueness of it, and the performances that were extremely dedicated, especially by Molly Gordon, I walk away from this film with high marks for Sophie Brooks' vision. And also if Molly Gordon is still single, I’m always around - no chains required.

🍿 SCORE = 77 / 100