Dating would be a lot less stressful if people just came out and said what they wanted. A revelatory point, I know. In the age of gamified apps, stress testing an algorithm – honesty would do a whole world of good. Writer-director Sophie Brooks, “Oh, Hi,” puts a relationship (or situationship) at the forefront of a (what was hoped to be) beautiful weekend getaway. From the beginning the film begins on a rather urgent note. Max (Geraldine Viswanathan) meets her best friend Iris (Molly Gordon) at the idyllic upstate New York Airbnb after some frantic texts. Gordon’s character explains she has done something bad and thus, intended to elevate the audience’s cortisol levels slightly.
While this “Misery” inspired comedy hybrid has things to say about love, transparency, and how it muddles the water when it comes to affection. The broad strokes of those observations ring true, but the union that is trying to depict the crossing of the wires falls short in doing so. It is immediately apparent that the two people at the center of “Oh, Hi” should not be together. Iris and her boyfriend, Isaac (Logan Lerman), set off on this vacation together, and you can tell there’s at least a physical connection present.
“Oh, Hi” / Photo Credit: Sony Pictures Classics
Early on, they have scenes together singing Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton’s 1983 duet, “Islands In The Stream,” cook a romantic dinner, hook up, and exchange cute pleasantries. Most of their conversations surround what you would ask someone you’re interested in within the first two weeks of dating. What’s your favorite movie? (For Iris, it’s Casablanca, which is something that tries to get brought back later.) What was your toughest heartbreak? They even recall a memorable time on their third date when Issac comforts Iris when she was crying after a hard day.
The point is, their early honeymoon period is just that. Brooks’s story suggests that Iris and Isaac are fully committed to this union, but the cracks appear early. At a stop at a strawberry stand, Issac is shown to have a bit of a wandering eye. Compounded with this subtle overture of what’s to come, you don’t get a sense these people really know each other at all. After a consensual, beginner BDSM session, Isaac informs Iris that he does not see their current union as exclusive. One would think Iris would be over and done with it, but she elects to keep him chained to their bed for 12 hours to prove Isaac wrong. At one point, she retreats to the living room and does extensive research on how to “convince” someone they love you.
Even if “Oh, Hi” loses itself in the genres it’s trying to weave together and what it’s ultimately wanting to say, there lie a couple of good observations. The film explores the so-called “soft boy” phenomenon, a descriptor for a man who wants all the benefits of a relationship but doesn’t want to be in one. Another is the effects of stringing somebody along and how hurtful that could be. However, that’s very unconvincing concerning Issac’s character. No matter how many times the film tries to make his backstory a little bit sympathetic concerning a parental cheating sub-plot, he’s extremely grating after the reveal. You’ll wonder why Iris is going through all this trouble (and potential jail time) to convince this man.
Things get even more complicated when Max and her boyfriend Kenny (John Reynolds) show up and get roped into being accomplices to the situation. There are some scenes where Viswanathan and Reynolds bring about some humor, pairing off with the frantic nature of Gordon and Lerman’s characters. “Oh, Hi” gets even wackier when Iris and Max decide to try their hands at witchcraft to somehow un-trick Issac’s mind. But we’re not rooting for this couple to see the light or for them to reach enlightened epiphanies at the end of their road.
We do crazy things for love – but even if you’re an island in the stream – you have to see the forest from the trees. “Oh, Hi” will make you wish these characters had a succession of twenty-minute conversations before they hit confirm on the booking reservation.
“Oh, Hi” premiered at 2025 Tribeca Festival. It will be released in theaters on July 25, 2025
