Relationships can make people do wild things. Especially difficult are the relationships that don’t go as planned, where two people want opposite things or are simply in different places in their lives. It’s rough when one person cares deeply, while the other doesn’t care nearly enough. It’s painful enough to do something…a bit unhinged. That’s what happens in Oh, Hi!, a sort of non-rom rom-com by writer-director Sophie Brooks. This clever mixture of love and Misery feels almost like a throwback to the halcyon days of mumblecore, where all a comedy really needed was a killer concept and a fantastic cast — which Oh, Hi! has in spades on both counts.
What Is ‘Oh, Hi!’ About?

Image Via Sundance Film Festival

Molly Gordon stars as Iris, as she goes on a romantic getaway to High Falls, New York with Isaac (Logan Lerman), who she’s been dating for several months. The getaway starts romantic enough: Isaac cooks a fancy dinner for Iris, the two have a cute dance outside with lights all aglow, and the pair have fun fooling around while swimming. Later that night, the two get a little drunk and decide to play around with some S&M gear they find in the rented house.
Iris ties Isaac up to the bed, and after they have sex, Isaac drops the information that not only are they not a “couple,” but he wasn’t even aware that Iris thought they were exclusive. This revelation naturally leaves Iris shocked — especially after the wonderful night they’ve had. Certainly not in her right mind, Iris comes up with a plan: leave Isaac tied to the bed for twelve hours so he can get to know her, and he’ll finally see this relationship the way she wants him to see it.
‘Oh, Hi!’s Cast, Including Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman, Are a Lot of Fun

Image by Jovelle Tamayo via Sundance Institute

Gordon has been excellent in supporting roles in everything from Booksmart to Shiva Baby, as well as co-starring and co-directing Theater Camp, but in Oh, Hi!, she gets to show off all of her capabilities as a lead. Gordon is delightfully unhinged here, yet her reaction remains relatable, despite how bonkers it might get. In addition to presenting her as a great comedic lead, she also excels at nailing the romantic elements and even makes us a little wary that she might turn this over into horror territory. Gordon is fantastic in Oh. Hi! and hopefully, this is just the beginning of more lead roles for her. It’s also great to see Lerman, who has primarily worked in more dramatic roles like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Indignation, and Shirley, get to have fun. Despite being tied to a bed for the majority of the film, Lerman makes this restriction work quite well, and even though his actions largely lead to this scenario, Oh, Hi! never turns him into a villain — which he could’ve easily fallen into.

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While they don’t have nearly as much screen time as Gordon and Lerman, Geraldine Viswanathan and John Reynolds do pop in as friends of Iris and both get plenty of time to bring quite a bit of humor to this story. Viswanathan and Reynolds have a hilarious dynamic, and they both take this concept to an entirely new level, whether it’s in suggesting new ways to deal with the Isaac situation, or considering the legal ramifications of tying a potential love interest to a bed could have on all of them. These two help kick up this idea a notch when it could easily start to fall apart.
Sophie Brooks Does a Fine Job With a Story That Could’ve Gone Off the Rails

Oh, Hi! is a film that could easily go too far, and while it certainly gets to ridiculous levels, it never feels truly absurd. Yes, it’s wild, and yes, these characters make poor decisions, but that’s the point. When faced with situations like this, people are going to go a bit nuts. As they say, love makes people do wild things! Iris is a smart character, but that doesn’t mean her heart can’t lead her down unexpected paths like it does here. Brooks’ script finds a nice balance of unhinged choices that also never feels like it’s going completely overboard.
Brooks’ direction also sells this concept, as she films the beginning almost as a rom-com before the tables turn. Going in without knowing where this story is heading, the shift is jarring, but well-handled, as the plot really kicks into high gear. But again, Brooks’ film could’ve come off as extremely silly, but instead, by balancing the tone in just the right ways, it all comes together beautifully. Oh, Hi! creates an entertaining anti-rom-com of sorts by telling a story about not trying to convince someone why they should want to be with you, centered around four fantastic performances, in a film that’s consistently entertaining and unexpected.
Oh, Hi! had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

Oh, Hi!

Oh, Hi!, from writer-director Sophie Brooks, is a fun concept, led by charming performances by Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman.

Release Date

January 26, 2025

Runtime

94 Minutes

Director

Sophie Brooks

Producers

Elan Gale, Dan Clifton, David Brooks, Molly C. Quinn, Molly Gordon, Sophie Brooks, Justin Brown, Evan Moore, Julie Waters

Pros & Cons

Sophie Brooks takes an idea that could’ve easily gone off the rails and makes it work.
Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman are delightful together.
Oh, Hi! has fun subverting rom-com expectations.

Some of the decisions made might be a bit too ridiculous for some.