Oh Hi! is a darkly funny rom-com deconstruction.
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It's been interesting to watch a slow subtle rom-com resurgence occur. Just not how you might expect. While the genre has yet to hit its 90s-2000s heyday where big stars would attach themselves to one, either because that was their defining genre or because they were trying to branch out, the genre has seen a steady trickle of solid films show up...in the independent and streaming spaces. And if you hand off a genre to indie weirdos...they're gonna find some fun weirdo wrinkles to the genre. Like say...turning your rom-com into a kidnapping dark comedy?
The Setup
The film features Iris and Isaac, who are setting out on their first romantic getaway together after four months of dating. A get away that quickly turns sour when Isaac reveals that he's not looking for a relationship. Not content to let their connection go, Iris vows to convince him otherwise...by any means necessary.
I'll be to first to say that this movie is operating on a weirdo wavelength, and as such isn't going to be for everyone. Because as much as the movie is labeled a romantic comedy, it's much more of an anti-romantic comedy where instead of two people realizing how much they care about each other after a ton of back and forth and misadventure, it's more or less both parties reinforcing why they shouldn't be together for 90 minutes.
But the biggest reason is that this movie is mining a kidnapping for laughs.
Without giving too much away, Isaac is in a compromised position when the argument about their relationship starts. Iris takes it poorly, and instead of just readjusting or letting things go, she continues to dig herself a deeper and deeper hole.
Personally, I thought it was hilarious. There's a few big reasons why.
But the biggest reason is that this movie is mining a kidnapping for laughs.
Without giving too much away, Isaac is in a compromised position when the argument about their relationship starts. Iris takes it poorly, and instead of just readjusting or letting things go, she continues to dig herself a deeper and deeper hole.
Personally, I thought it was hilarious. There's a few big reasons why.
Molly Gordon is a Treasure
Molly Gordon's career is interesting because the things she is likely best known for, aren't the best demonstrations of what I love about her as a performer. To date she's had been a main or recurring character on three well-received cable shows including Animal Kingdom, Winning Time and The Bear. But I mostly love her affection for playing out of control weirdos like Rebecca-Diane in Theater Camp, meeting Rachel Sennott's freak flag in Shiva Baby, and now as the clearly unwell and unstable Iris.
To really work, the movie needs Iris to be appealing but also a bit off. She's cute, her and Isaac have a good rapport, but even before she goes off the deep end, there's little cracks in the exterior that slip through.
What I really love about this character is how her decisions are movie-level exaggerated, but the thought processes that get her there are relatable. Seeing her spiral out on her phone as she tries to convince herself Isaac is trash, then how she'll get him back and on and on and on, is a perfect encapsulation of a modern romantic crash out.
But, if we're being honest, the real reason Gordon suits this role so well is that she's willing to be a hilarious version of a cliche, an overly attached woman who doesn't realize how off the wall she sounds.
To really work, the movie needs Iris to be appealing but also a bit off. She's cute, her and Isaac have a good rapport, but even before she goes off the deep end, there's little cracks in the exterior that slip through.
What I really love about this character is how her decisions are movie-level exaggerated, but the thought processes that get her there are relatable. Seeing her spiral out on her phone as she tries to convince herself Isaac is trash, then how she'll get him back and on and on and on, is a perfect encapsulation of a modern romantic crash out.
But, if we're being honest, the real reason Gordon suits this role so well is that she's willing to be a hilarious version of a cliche, an overly attached woman who doesn't realize how off the wall she sounds.
Great Supporting Cast
Another reason the movie works as well as it does it because every role is perfectly cast. We've got a lot of disparate energies all playing off of one another whether it's David Cross as a seemingly nosy neighbor or Logan Lerman leaning into and poking fun at his young heartthrob image.
But my two favorites have to be, Geraldine Viswanathan and John Reynolds who play Iris' best friend Max and Max's boyfriend Kenny.
But my two favorites have to be, Geraldine Viswanathan and John Reynolds who play Iris' best friend Max and Max's boyfriend Kenny.
Viswanathan has been one of my favorite performers since Blockers partially because she has near-perfect comedic timing, but also because she has a naturally expressive face, which means she's a perfect foil for Gordon's more manic Iris, she her face says "holy shit this is really bad," while her actions and tone are more measured.
In a similar vein, I love John Reynolds energy as Kenny in this movie. The script really needs Kenny to be both a voice of reason, but also counting on him to dump in the seriousness of the situation...but for laughs. Which is not an easy needle to threat. Reynolds solution is to be far too casual about the entire affair with the same energy applied to "we'll go to jail for 25 years" as you would to asking if there's any more of those chips. While still allowing for brief moments of freakout.
It also means the movie can lean into some dynamics with Isaac trying to convince Kenny to let him go, with Kenny sounding like a store manager who'd love to help you, but just can't right now. Policies and all...
Some Insight Into Dating/Relationships
The emotional baseline for this movie is relatable, even if the exaggeration isn't. Without applying gendered politics to the whole affair, one of the awkward foibles of modern dating is "defining the relationship." Because if you don't, there's a good chance that one party is going to get more invested, when the other party had no interest in a strong commitment and things can get awkward in a hurry. That's clearly what's going on here.
In Iris' head she was in a relationship, which to be fair a lot of the signs were there, but Isaac hadn't committed. And to be fair to him, his apprehension to share anything about himself demonstrates a lack of emotional connection and maturity you need to maintain a relationship.
In Iris' head she was in a relationship, which to be fair a lot of the signs were there, but Isaac hadn't committed. And to be fair to him, his apprehension to share anything about himself demonstrates a lack of emotional connection and maturity you need to maintain a relationship.
Which means, they're a bad match, not as people, but in terms of their outlook. Iris is clearly very insecure and a bit of an emotional roller coaster and Isaac isn't going to solve that. But Isaac also should be more forthright about his intentions to avoid any confusion and attachment.
A bit of dating advice you'll hear from time to time is that you need to keep your "real self" at bay when you're dating someone. This is usually aimed at women, because heaven forbid you have the regular spectrum of human emotions in front of the totally emotional stable group of folks known as "men."
But that also means that if a man demonstrates a tolerance or understanding when it comes to an unexpected emotion or outburst, it can mistaken for closeness. Or used in a similar way.
I, and in my opinion the movie, argue for a tweak. Be true about yourself, put the best version of yourself forward when you can, own your mistakes, and be honest. Because honesty could lead to closeness and connection in a good scenario or, at worst mutual understanding.
And also, don't kidnap your maybe boyfriend because you're convinced he doesn't know what he wants. That's absurd out-of-control criminal behavior.
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