Love makes anyone a little crazy, especially in those first few months, when it feels like a full-on guessing game. The thrill that people get when having a crush is the same feeling that makes others fear romance altogether. And this masochistic game is only escalating, with dating app fatigue and open relationships—damned by poor communication—scrambling all the signals. But, for many, if you’ve lucked out, you latch on.
A bright-eyed Iris (Molly Gordon) appears to have lucked out with her boyfriend, Isaac (Logan Lerman). The twentysomethings are knee-deep in the honeymoon phase, driving to a romantic getaway and passing the time with smoldering flirtatious banter and singing Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton’s 1983 duet “Islands in the Stream.” They stop at a roadside strawberry stand, and suddenly, we taste some unease between the two. As Isaac flirts with the woman at the stand, Iris leers at his shoulder. Nothing is as secure as the duet might’ve suggested.
Sophie Brooks’s sophomore film, Oh, Hi!, plops us into one of the most vulnerable dating stages: an overnight vacation three or four months into seeing someone. Brooks zeroes in on the quiet, clawing insecurities that surface just as casual dating starts to turn serious.
Isaac plays the boyfriend role expertly; anyone would be smitten. Lerman and Gordon’s chemistry is the crown jewel of Oh, Hi!, perhaps the only reason this absurd rom-com works as well as it does. After finding restraints in their host’s closet, the two decide to try out some kinky sex. Isaac ties up Iris before Iris requests to switch roles. Following an intimate sex scene packed with the same sprightly flirtation, Isaac drops a bomb: He’s not looking for anything serious.
This comes as a serious shock to Iris, who responds in one of the best rom-com monologues of the year, thanks to Gordon: “Why would you tell your mom about me? Why would you eat me out in broad daylight? That’s fucking boyfriend shit.” Mind you, Isaac is still tied up. After letting this soak in, a brilliant idea dawns on Iris. She can keep Isaac tied up and show him how happy they could be together.
The wild premise of Oh, Hi! demands a lot from its cast. Stuck in a cabin—specifically, chained to the bed—Lerman flexes his comedic chops. However, Gordon shines as this comedy’s star, delivering jokes as she turns on a dime between manic moods and depressed slumps. It’s not perfect, sometimes only cautiously leaning into its absurdity. Still, Oh, Hi! takes a stab at some hard truths about dating; its insights into modern romance aren’t revelatory, but the delivery is unhinged enough to stick. R, 94 min.
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