Modern dating is the focus of writer/director Sophie Brook’s OH HI!, in which a couple, played by Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman, take a weekend trip to the country. The film is billed as a comedy about a relationship, or as the film has it, a “situationship,” but comedy/rom com/horror might be more accurate, as the comedy designation is undermined from the start. The film opens by flashing forward to the end, as Iris (Gordon) confesses to the camera about her “bad decisions,” before we flashback to the beginning of the couple’s weekend trip to the country.
That opening gives the dark comedy a bit of horror film edge right at the start, and we are never sure which way it is going to go as it unfolds. Comedy/horror may be a common genre but the rom com/horror combo is a more challenging match, no matter how dark the rom com, but Sophie Brook does raise some interesting modern dating questions, and the strong cast certainly does everything they can to help it work. OH, HI!, which debuted in New York at the Tribeca Film Festival, is undeniably weird, although whether that weirdness works for you or not depends on individual taste, but at least some audiences may find this ambitious film exhausting and fizzling by the end.
The film follows up it’s unsettling, edgy opening by flashing back to the beginning of the story, as the couple, Iris (Gordon) and Isaac (Lerman), are happily driving through the Upstate New York countryside, on their way to their farmhouse rental for their first weekend trip in High Falls (Iris’ misreading of a road sign gives the film’s title). Along the way, they pass red barns and idyllic scenery, while bubbling Iris playfully teases more reserved Issac. They stop at a roadside stand selling strawberries, where they have a little rom com incident, and a surprising bit of flirtation between Isaac and the strawberry lady, right in from of Iris.
Arriving at the rental farmhouse with plenty of strawberries, the film’s tone returns to blissful rom com, as Iris and Isaac settle in for their romantic weekend. Isaac cooks an elegant dinner of scallops, they drink wine, and dine out on the porch under the stars and string lights. Their conversation reveals their relationship is fairly new, and they are still getting to know each other.
The film’s set-up is interesting if unsettling, part comedy with a tense horror undercurrent, as it deals with the pitfalls and challenges of dating through apps, and raises intriguing questions about relationships, interpersonal communications, expectations, honesty, and romantic dreams. But OH HI! gets increasingly dark as it goes, with an unnerving encounter with an angry neighbor (David Cross) and a series of bad decisions on the part of the couple, particularly after discovering some S&M items in a locked closet leads to a situation that seems headed towards a contemporary MISERY and full-blown horror, as Iris becomes increasingly crazy and Isaac reveals bracing level of arrogance. Why such a beautiful, intelligent woman as Iris would want to hold onto this spoiled, privileged man is puzzling. Nearly as puzzling is Isaac’s sense of privilege, as he clings to the idea that his dishonesty isn’t deceitful and somehow justified by a careful parsing of words.
Yet director Sophie Brooks flips the switch again, and heads back to comedy and farce, with the arrival of some surprise intruders, Iris’ best friend Max (Geraldine Viswanathan) and her boyfriend Kenny (John Reynolds), both wonderfully funny, providing a much needed interruption.
Whether you like this switching back and forth between rom com and horror is up to your individual taste but it didn’t appeal to this reviewer. Further, it seemed like the repeated switches became wearing, and even caused the story to fizzle by the end.
The one thing that does lift this film out of the corner it has painted itself into is the arrival of Geraldine Viswanathan and John Reynolds. They offer a bright, outright funny turn that gets things back on track. At least until the script again jumps the rails, and becomes tedious and nonsensical as it stumbles towards an awkward end.
While the script goes down its rabbit holes, one cannot fault the actors themselves, who turn in excellent performances that often lift the film above the script. Gordon and Lerman have nice chemistry between them, which allows the actors to bring depth to their characters and scenes in increasingly strange situations. But Geraldine Viswanathan and John Reynolds are the real standouts, marvelous in their roles as a functional couple, Max and Kenny, and the have great comic skills and chemistry to boot. They really do rescue the whole film midway, breaking it out of what looks like a descent into an inescapable pit of creepiness, although their efforts aren’t enough to save the film in the end.
Still, OH, HI! deserves credit for it’s high-concept intentions, even if it ultimately is brought down by its constantly-switching, mixed-tone script. Certainly, the film has something to say but it also has some weird ideas about how to say it. Despite all that, OH, HI! has its moments of humor, insight and brightness, often thanks to its strong cast.
OH, HI! opens Friday, July 25, 2025, in theaters.
RATING: 2 out of 4 stars
