A Subversive Rom-Com
From writer/director Sophie Brooks, ‘Oh, Hi!’ is a fresh take on the somewhat defunct romantic comedy. It’s funny when it wants to be and charming every so often, but it never packs a punch when it needs to. Although it’s cool seeing Molly Gordon horrendously dance for a scared shitless Logan Lerman, there was something missing, making it feel hollow and dull at times. Maybe the overuse of montages combined with many, many, MANY needledrops (although the Clairo one was a chef’s kiss ) just got under my skin by the end of the runtime.
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Everything seems to be going perfectly for Iris (Gordon) and Isaac (Lerman) on their first weekend away together. They sing at the top of their lungs on the ride to their getaway house, buy a year’s supply of strawberries (after comically crashing into a woman’s stand), and nearly start having sex in a muddy lake while Steve (David Cross), a nearby neighbor, watches and judges them. This couple truly seems like they are going to last… until it’s made clear that only one of them really thinks that, and the other doesn’t take it well.
Now, this would be an even more effective and interesting plot twist in ‘Oh, Hi!’ if it wasn’t revealed in the grueling trailer. I get it, Sony Classics had to market the movie somehow to get people to see it, but did it really feel the need to spoil one of the best things it had going? Sometimes trailer companies need to realize that less is more for some movies, and this may be one of them.
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Iris learns that Isaac doesn’t think they are in a relationship after they have sex, and it’s convenient for her that Isaac broke this news to her while he was tied to the bed frame with some of the kinky items they found in the downstairs closet. Iris clearly feels like they are in a relationship together, like this is something that’s going to continue, but Isaac sees her more as a girl he has casual sex with – more or less a “situationship”. This miscommunication between the two of them proves to be more harmful towards Isaac (even though Iris is extremely distraught) and moves ‘Oh, Hi’ along to the next stage.
After manically scrolling on the internet in the middle of the night, almost asking the internet to diagnose what she’s feeling (super relatable), Iris leaves him tied up through the night and into the morning, explaining that she won’t untie him until he gives her another shot to prove they can be something. She spends the next day making him french toast, trying to understand why he doesn’t feel the same way about her, and figuring out how to win him over (which ultimately fails).
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This is where ‘Oh, Hi!’ is at its best. Most of these ideas surrounding relationships in 2025 are presented in such fascinating ways but don’t really get past the bullet point phase. They needed to be developed or discussed further in order for them to really make an impact in a deeper sense, rather than just at surface level.
Oh, Characters!
The two main characters sometimes feel like they are the main issues with ‘Oh, Hi!’. Don’t get me wrong, Gordon and Lerman are good and do their absolute best to bring any sense of life into this script. But at certain moments, it feels empty and meaningless, with this lack of emotion taking the front seat.
Iris and Isaac couldn’t be any more different, and it doesn’t ever feel like they truly know each other. She’s a movie girl, he’s a book guy (which might be performative). Iris doesn’t even know what kind of breakfast he likes (a subject she obsesses over and makes for the most frightening part of the movie). It’s hard to care for these characters if they don’t even seem to care for each other.
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Maybe Brooks is making a conscious decision by doing this. Maybe showing how different they are is the whole point. It would make sense that only one of them thinks they are in a relationship if they don’t even know each other that well, but even if this is the case, Isaac needed more depth, more emotion. Almost all of his lines feel like he’s either defending himself or answering questions. Isaac is never on the offensive, never wanting to get deeper with Iris, unless it’s convenient for himself.
The most we learn about these lead characters and their past are revealed to us in two scenes. In the first, which is filled with exposition, we learn that Iris was dumped by her boyfriend of seven years whom she started dating in high school and really wanted to stab him. Isaac is slightly rattled by this information but thinks nothing of it, not until she brings up stabbing him later.
Towards the end of the movie, in a flashback sequence, we get a short glimpse into their third date together at a bar. Isaac is waiting for Iris, thinking he’s an idiot and she’s not coming, but she comes through the door, tears running from her eyes. Iris and Isaac are at their most vulnerable during this scene: he truly does care for her even if he doesn’t want to show it, while she is upset but not afraid of showing it.
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Iris’ and Isaac’s two friends, Max (Geraldine Viswanathan) and Kenny (John Reynolds), combine for some true comedy. They arrive to learn what Iris has done and are fully committed to helping her, even though Kenny talks about how much he likes Isaac (and reads a book to him). As accessories to a possible kidnapping, they run through all the scenarios that can happen to them. Max throws out an idea about using a spell (yes, a spell) to make Isaac forget everything that happened in the previous day. It’s like something you would hear when stoned in the basement of your friend’s house as a 16-year-old. Not something I would necessarily put into a movie that has some interesting ideas.
Although the runtime is dragging at some points, ‘Oh Hi!’ is a solid watch with some funny, heartfelt moments. Fans of romantic comedies may enjoy this even more, and there is clearly a target audience that I may not be a part of.
By Aidan Reidy
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Aidan Reidy is a writer who’s currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in motion pictures screenwriting at the University of Miami. He is passionate about the entertainment industry and enjoys watching most genres. He is interested in every aspect of filmmaking ranging from technical aspects like editing and sound mixing to acting and directing styles. Hollywood Insider’s commitment to substance-filled articles rather than gossip columns attracted him to the website, creating an enjoyable environment for him to write in and aligning with his personal values, as well.
Aidan Reidy is a writer who’s currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in motion pictures screenwriting at the University of Miami. He is passionate about the entertainment industry and enjoys watching most genres. He is interested in every aspect of filmmaking ranging from technical aspects like editing and sound mixing to acting and directing styles. Hollywood Insider’s commitment to substance-filled articles rather than gossip columns attracted him to the website, creating an enjoyable environment for him to write in and aligning with his personal values, as well.
