The dark romantic comedy “Oh, Hi!” dances on the edge of charming absurdity while delivering a sharply relatable dissection of the very real anxieties of modern dating. It’s equal parts whimsical, cringe-inducing, and emotionally raw, but the uneven tone is held together by a strong lead performance from the perfectly cast Molly Gordon in the lead role.
Directed by Sophie Brooks (and co-written by Brooks and Gordon), the film tells the story of Iris (Gordon) and her boyfriend Isaac (Logan Lerman), a seemingly perfect couple embarking on their first romantic getaway to a secluded farmhouse. A setting this serene should lead to a relaxing weekend, but it quickly becomes the backdrop for a total and complete emotional breakdown. Fueled by mismatched expectations, escalating miscommunication, and Iris’ desperate attempts to cement a relationship teetering on ambiguity, things rapidly go from bad to worse.
Brooks leans into contrivance with full confidence, and it’s sometimes too much. A subplot involving witchcraft feels like a narrative stall that doesn’t earn its place in the story. The weaker narrative detours like these dilute some of the genuine insight that the film otherwise offers, and the story stumbles because of it. The tone straddles quirky indie charm and theatrical absurdity, often landing somewhere between inventive and indulgent.
The film’s thematic exploration of modern romance is spot-on, however. It’s a biting commentary on all of the dating world’s emotional minefields, from commitment phobia, miscommunication via texts, misread nonverbal signals, and the deep insecurity that can lead people to behave irrationally. In many ways, Iris is anyone who’s ever tried to believe that love is mutual even when all the signs point the other way.
The film is painfully honest about the coping mechanisms we adopt when romantic fantasies start to crumble. The story doesn’t shy away from showing the emotional delusions people carry into relationships, especially under the influence of social norms that tell us every spark should lead to lifelong love. This deeper insight makes the film feel less like a traditional rom-com and more like a satirical psychological sketch of dating and romance, and it’s incredibly well done.
Gordon’s portrayal of Iris is the highlight of the film, especially as she seamlessly switches between charisma and chaos with a deftness that feels eerily authentic. Iris isn’t just another quirky heroine, but is deeply flawed, unpredictable, and vulnerable in ways that cut through the stylized surface of the film. Gordon leans fully into the unhinged spirals her character undergoes, from mild neuroticism to full-blown emotional unraveling. It’s a performance that could easily tilt into caricature, but she grounds it with just enough emotional reality to keep audiences invested.
“Oh, Hi!” is a different type of romantic comedy that’s less about fulfillment and more about emotional reckoning. It may not be a fully polished gem, but its jagged edges are part of its appeal.
