And the last of the delayed reviews for this month's Star of the month! When viewing a trailer for the film The Oh in Ohio (2006), one knows immediately he or she will have to find a way to view the feature one day. Thankfully, at the time, Netflix had the film available on DVD to rent and so it immediately when into my queue at the time and shipped to my home. The Oh in Ohio is a feature that should have performed better instead of getting critically panned by everyone around. There is a ton of talent within the feature, the script is well-written, and laughs are provided. Anyone who does not laugh is a sour puss who does not understand how important an orgasm can be for every gender instead of just the male one. This leads me to the basic synopsis of the feature. The Oh in Ohio focuses on Priscilla Chase (Parker Posey) and the fact that she has not once had an orgasm for the duration of her marriage to husband Jack Chase (Paul Rudd). Upon him discovering this instead of trying to work things out with his wife, he has to go on an ego stroke mission in order to make himself feel better. This is a role that most of us do not expect to see Rudd in because we always want him to be the good guy. In this feature, one is not able to say such a thing by the end. Then we have poor Priscilla who is forced to go on a sexual exploration alone, but can be forgiven since it provides many laughs.
In terms of acting, Parker Posey is hilarious. No matter what feature she manages to lend her talents to she always leaves me laughing with the way she portrays each and every one of her characters. As Priscilla, we truly are able to sympathize with her just wanting to experience the pleasure that the majority of everyone else her age has at that point. After all, she has been going through the motions without any reward at the end. Instead of crafting a script that will make audiences pity her, the script lends itself to empowering her to get out of the situation she currently finds herself in. If one is not happy in life, they should make changes and this is the ultimate message of the film. Then we have Rudd who takes on a role that most of us were foreign to seeing him in and still are in all honesty. Granted, he changes what makes him unhappy, but he choose not to work on his marriage, which further proves that most people would rather stray than work on their marriages these days. That is another article for someone else to write though. Despite that fact, the audience will love to hate him in this role and the role shows the range that Rudd can provide within features. He does not have to just be the funny guy, but one must confess, I still want to see him in more comedic roles than ones where he is dubbed a complete ego driven asshole. Then there are the performances of Heather Graham, Liza Minelli, and Danny DeVito. While most of the performances are meant as cameo moments, the performances are hilarious and make for a well rounded cast.
Ultimately, what I truly do not understand is the contempt for this film. After all any movie that includes Heather Graham as a lesbian sex shop owner, Lizi Minelli as a sex guru, and Danny DeVito and his comedic charm, who can be left feeling angry? In many ways it looks like this feature would be a popular comedy because it focuses on the sexual exploration of a woman. In many ways this seems like the perfect film for any guy and his friends based on that fact alone! And in all honesty it ends up being more of an empowering film for women than it might have set out to be in the beginning. In truth, The Oh in Ohio is an independent film that everyone should take the time to view at least once. If not for the laughs, but to be reminded that life is too short to be unhappy so make changes where changes are needed. However, one should also be reminded that by making some of those changes they might cause pain. Those same people also need to remember to own up to their mistakes instead of blaming all the problems in their lives on someone else. When people are able to realize such a thing, they will only then begin to help one another, but themselves.
If you are interested in renting The Oh in Ohio, make sure to check out this title through your local Austell Blockbuster, Videodrome, Movies Worth Seeing, Netflix, or movie channels based upon your cable or satellite provider around Halloween. To purchase any Blu-rays or DVDs mentioned in this review please check out your local Austell Best Buy, Walmart, Target, or Kmart. For Roger Ebert's full review please click here.
