Oh, Hi! Review
Sophie Brooks’ sophomore feature, Oh, Hi!, stars Molly Gordon (The Bear, Booksmart, Theater Camp) and Logan Lerman (The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Fury). Following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, Sony Pictures Classics acquired the distribution rights. The film opens like a conventional rom-com and then goes in an unexpected direction, at least if you avoid the trailers.
Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman in ‘Oh, Hi!’ Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Iris (Molly Gordon) and Isaac (Logan Lerman) travel on a romantic getaway to an Airbnb out in the country after dating for a couple of months. Things seem idyllic until after a post-coital conversation where Isaac confesses he’s not looking for a long-term relationship. Iris is blindsided because she thought they were exclusive. In her shock at his claim that she’s been misreading the relationship, she decides to tie him to the bed and give herself 12 hours to convince him that he actually does want to be with her. What began as a romantic comedy becomes a dark comedy.
The performances from Gordon and Lerman are great, as their characters both contend with their emotional hangups. I appreciate that the movie doesn’t portray Gordon’s Iris as being totally unhinged after the inciting event; she just made a bad decision in a moment of shock and vulnerability that then gets out of hand.
The real highlights, however, are Geraldine Viswanathan (Drive-Away Dolls) and John Reynolds (Search Party), Iris’ friends who arrive to help her get out of the ridiculous situation. They enter the picture just in time to boost the energy, making the absurd situation even funnier. David Cross also makes a brief but inspired appearance as an odd neighbor living next door to the Airbnb.
Geraldine Viswanathan and John Reynolds in ‘Oh, Hi!’ Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
The movie doesn’t have anything profound to say about relationships. It’s also fairly tame for a dark comedy. Because of the lack of depth, I could imagine the movie pushing things a bit further in a dark direction; at least then it’d be more memorable. As it stands, the movie is just a light distraction, especially after watching Celine Song’s recently released—and excellent—Materialists, which had so much more to say about romance and dating.
Oh, Hi! opened in theaters on Friday, July 25, 2025.
