Warning: This post contains spoilers for Oh, Hi!
It’s a not-so-typical love story. Boy meets girl, they go on a romantic getaway together, and have sex. But after sleeping together, Isaac (Logan Lerman) reveals to Iris (Molly Gordon) that he has no interest in pursuing a serious relationship. When Isaac tells Iris this, he’s still restrained by his hands and feet (they decided to use some handcuffs they found in the closet of their holiday home). Instead of uncuffing him and ending their relationship, Iris decides to keep him tied up, choosing to turn the weekend into a last-ditch effort to make Isaac love her.
In this sense, Oh, Hi! feels like a riff on Misery. But while most films would be quick to condemn Iris for her decision, Sophie Brooks’ film isn’t interested in having a villain, nor is it in casting judgment on its characters. This is a different kind of romantic comedy, clearly, but it’s also a thoughtful interrogation on the idea of being “crazy,” a word often hurled as an accusation towards women. Of course, Iris is wrong to leave Isaac restrained, but Isaac manipulated her by taking her on a romantic getaway and acting like a madly in love couple, only to suddenly retract and say he’s not interested in anything serious. You might say it’s enough to make someone go…crazy.
Oh, Hi! is a romantic comedy about contemporary dating, but also the way expectations impact our decision-making. “Expectation and want are the makeup of every story,” says Brooks, who co-wrote and directed Oh, Hi! “Expectations are inherent to conflict, and inherent to relationships.” Having Isaac and Iris be misaligned in their expectations reflects modern dating. We’ve gotten into a system where having wants and needs can be considered too much, and everyone should play it cool and act like they don’t care.”
When working on the movie, her second feature, Brooks was inspired by Joachim Trier’s 2021 film The Worst Person in the World to write a rom-com…
