Oh, Hi!
Review by Mark Woodring
Well, this one is going to be difficult to review, because frankly, I am legitimately of two minds on this one.
One of those minds has a lot of good things to say about Oh, Hi!, but the other mind…
…well, let’s just say that I hate a lot of the things it’s going to say.
So I suppose we should just get right on to it.
**NOTE: You can read Mark’s review below, then listen (once the links appears below after the audio/video is crunched, lol) as he and Ryan discuss the film further if you want to get some more spoiler-centric details about the film. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
94 Minutes, Rated R
Written and Directed by Sophie Brooks
Synopsis:
Iris and Isaac’s first romantic weekend getaway goes awry in a most unexpected way.
There are times when you watch a movie, and if you can manage to simply disconnect your mind, you can really enjoy it. It’s only when you step back and take a broader look at what it’s doing and how it’s doing it, you find that the movie is — to use a word I absolutely HATE (but one which seems to be all the rage right now) — problematic.
On the one hand, Oh, Hi! is a story about a relationship that isn’t seen the same way by both its members.
Iris is thrilled with the idea of a romantic weekend getaway with her man, Isaac.
Isaac is looking forward to a weekend away with fun girl, Iris.
These two points of view about their relationship are clearly divergent.
But once Iris becomes aware of Isaac’s ideas of what their relationship is, the otherwise romantic (and fun) weekend goes off the rails.
I don’t want to spoil the movie for you, but let’s just say there are some questionable techniques for improving your relationship brought to bear in Oh, Hi! which serve to illustrate the dangers of blindly following the advice of “experts.”
If you’ve ever seen some of the videos on YouTube about how to “check” or “fix” your relationship, you know what I’m talking about.
Anyway, looking at a “funny” relationship movie, Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman are great as Iris and Isaac, and Iris’ friend Max, played by the ever more impressive Geraldine Viswanathan, perfectly balances the need to support her friend with the need to get the entire situation back on track.
So in that way, Oh, Hi! is actually what it is trying to bill itself as: a fun relationship comedy.
But…
Yep, there’s a “but.”
My other mind on this one, is reminiscent of my mind on the 2023 Jennifer Lawrence film No Hard Feelings. Like that one, Oh, Hi! isn’t nearly as “funny” if one takes a moment to reverse the roles of Iris and Isaac. Hollywood, and society in general, seem to be okay with some behaviors if they’re perpetrated by woman on men, but if it were the other way around, the pitchforks and torches would be out and scalps would be demanded for the blatant abuse and degradation of women.
So you can see my problem.
But in the end, I suppose I’m going to tell you to just shut off your brain and enjoy some really solid comedic performances, even if the story they’re yucking it up in isn’t necessarily the best (to put it kindly).
Oh, Hi! escapes to theaters Friday, July 25, and stars Sophie Brooks, Molly Gordon, Logan Lerman, Geraldine Viswanathan, John Reynolds, and David Cross.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
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