In “Oh, Hi!”, Logan Lerman (of “Percy Jackson” fame) plays Isaac and Molly Gordon (terrific on “The Bear”) plays Iris. They’ve been dating for a little bit and are now going to a country house to spend the weekend together. All seems to be going well… until Isaac reveals his true feelings to Iris. She’s blindsided and quickly decides to take matters into her own hands.
“Oh, Hi!” isn’t quite as ‘misery’-able of an experience as the recently released dud “Hurry Up Tomorrow” starring The Weeknd and Jenna Ortega, but it’s kinda close. Writer/director Sophie Brooks has made a romantic comedy that unfortunately isn’t very funny or fresh or entertaining.
David Cross’ flat neighbor Steve is simply a waste of screen time. The usage of iconic song “Islands in the Stream” was so much better in the Will Ferrell / Reese Witherspoon rom-com “You’re Cordially Invited” from earlier this year… which also co-starred Geraldine Viswanathan, who plays Iris’ friend Max in this film.
But the biggest problem with “Oh, Hi!” is that characters — particularly Isaac and Iris — are unlikable and consistently make dumb decisions. Not reasons to make you care. The second half is a slight improvement on the first half, but the final section is very, very messy.
Sony Pictures Classics acquired this after its Sundance premiere in January. But unlike previous occasions when SPC bought a movie from the film fest and saved it for awards season (including “Whiplash” and “Living”), “Oh, Hi!” was given a wide release (no limited or platform debut to generate more buzz) in late summer on the same day as a superhero blockbuster.
LCJ GRADE: D+
Running Time: 94 min.