Skip to content

Frank's Movie Log

My life at the movies.

Hi, Mom!

1970 | United States | 87 min | More...
A still from Hi, Mom! (1970)
D+: 2 stars (out of 5)
on Wed Mar 31, 2021

A sequel to Greetings that sees Robert De Niro reprising his role as Jon Rubin, now a Vietnam War vet returned home to New York City.

Director Brian De Palma retains the prior film’s vignette structure, with Rubin opening the film attempting a career in voyeuristic porn, then joining a militant theater group, before going deep undercover himself.

As with Greetings, I loved the New York City photography. And I enjoyed seeing De Niro’s growth as a performer. But once again, I struggled to connect with the film’s humor. Granted, Hi, Mom! proved more accessible than Greetings—the “Be Black Baby” theater sequence in particular. But I still felt I was missing context and nuance a 1970s audience would have grasped.

Viewing History

    Watched on
    Wed Mar 31, 2021 via Blu-ray (2018 | Arrow | De Palma & De Niro: The Early Films)