Handcuffing someone to a bed might be fun, but if you don’t let them go, it becomes a crime, a civil matter, or both.  In either case, this is the centre of the story of Oh, Hi!, the new comedy from director Sophie Brooks, co-written and starring Molly Gordon. 

In the film, Gordon plays Iris, a young woman on her first couples trip with her boyfriend Isaac (Logan Lerman).  They are quite obviously infatuated with one another, laughing and singing, lovemaking, cooking, reading, drinking, and generally having a great time at a farmhouse in the country.  It’s the kind of romantic getaway that can solidify, or indeed even define, a relationship.  In a bedroom closet, they find restraints, and after an evening of drinking and desire, they decide to use them.  Iris chains Isaac to the bed, and they make spectacular love.  Soon, while basking in the afterglow, it’s revealed that while Iris has been under the impression that they are in a committed and deepening relationship, Isaac has not.

If each movie has a moment that requires the viewer to buy in, this is that moment in Oh, Hi!, for rather than getting dressed and talking about what’s going on and why their perceptions are different, and if their needs and wants are even compatible, Iris leaves Isaac chained to the bed overnight.  And then the next day. And then her friends show up, and Isaac stays chained to the bed.  

There’s a logical disconnect here (not only because he never has to poop) but because even though he’s an asshole, she chains him to the bed and leaves him that way in an effort to connect with him and figure out why they have such different relationship goals.  This choice requires Iris to be portrayed as a little crazy, and while there’s definitely room to work with this kind of set-up in something darker, the light-hearted tone doesn’t really jibe with the situation in the way it needs to. 

Molly Gordon is actually really good in this, though. She really sells the situation she has co-written for herself; Iris clearly has some issues, and Gordon does a good job of seeming just slightly off enough to make you believe she’s capable of this.  Lerman is fine as well, reacting to her in both believable and relatable ways.  

Once Iris’ friends Max (Geraldine Viswanathan) and Kenny (John Reynolds) show up, things get hairier as they decide to also become complicit in the ongoing kidnapping.  They’re both really funny, though, and Viswanathan in particular has some of the best line reads in the film.

Yet, the longer the film continues, the more it falls apart.  By the time the end rolls around and it’s time for the characters to reconcile with each other and their respective traumas, it falls flat due to the stark inequity of their actions.  To be clear, yes, Isaac is very much an asshole, drifting from woman to woman and never committing, and drifting away when things get even a little bit serious.  He’s a man who wants all the comfort of a relationship but none of the responsibility.  He’s a coward and a child, but she still keeps him tied to a bed.  It doesn’t quite work, and if you’re not sure why, just imagine the roles reversed. 

What’s really frustrating is that if the film had been even a little bit darker or a little bit wackier, it might have really landed. It may yet, for some. The cast is charming and there are some good laughs, but Oh, Hi! goes both too far and not far enough to be successful.