Highly Overrated But Still Good

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Robert De Niro plays a would-be filmmaker in New York City who is given $2000 by a porno producer to make Peep Art--filming the sexual exploits of his neighbors directly out his apartment window--but action is slow, so he gets to know the woman living across from him by pretending they had a date. Another of De Niro's neighbors, a white stage producer, promotes his show, "Be Black Baby", by stirring up the public with on-the-street commentary on what it's like to be black in America. Audacious early effort from writer-director Brian De Palma, a quasi-follow-up to his "Greetings" from 1968, has some very funny revue-style sequences with tricky staging, although the second-act (with white actors in black-face and black actors in white-face) is too hostile and ugly and shuts down the comedy. The two halves of the picture never really jell, anyway, and one begins to miss the easy, naturally comic dialogue from the opening. ** from ****

Long before either Robert DeNiro or Brian DePalma were famous, they teamed for this low budget satire on Urban Life in late 60s NYC. The resulting film was a mixed bag at best, with one truly brilliant sequence - the guerrilla theater piece "Be Black, Baby" - a few clever observations and a fair bit of dead time, where it seems as if nobody came up with much, and it got filmed anyway. DeNiro plays a Vietnam vet who wanders about NYC filming things 'peeping Tom' style, looking for a purpose in life or a personal mission. If this sounds like Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver) with a camera rather than a cab, it sure does, but unfortunately, DeNiro has less to do that is cinematically captivating here than in his "Are you talking' to me?" moments as Bickle. The character is less interesting on screen, less well-formed and thus less of a scene-stealer. Plus, DePalma was clearly so enamored of the film- making process that the viewer is supposed to find the voyeuristic act of simply filming stuff to be as orgasmic as the director thinks it is, even when nothing much very interesting is being filmed. I still recommend the movie but urge caution. The good parts here are really good. It would be a better movie, obviously, if there were more of them.

I was interested in seeing "Hi, Mom" for a few reasons. One, was because of an early Brian De Palma comedy film with early appearance of Robert De Niro. Two, because the trailer to the film looked very funny and strangely exciting. And Three, because I have seen this film on the video shelf for a while.Back when I was young boy, I seen the film remember showing this to my parents. I wish I would gotten this years back. But I recently watched it online with an exciting feeling that this film was going to be good. And as it turned out, I loved it. However, while watching this, it seems oddly familiar. In my opinion, it looks like De Niro is acting like a Woody Allen character.So it's about a young man just coming back from the Vietnam. And moving into an abandoned apartment across the street, to discover the people in the other apartments across the street. So he meets and gets in touch with a young lady across the street while almost being a 'peeping tom', he tries to figure out information about her. While tries setting his camera up for the people lots of terrible/hilarious things happen.Also later on he discovers an audition for a live theater experience called "Be Black Baby" which is a story about white people going to experience what it is like to be a Negro. This segment is actually a frightening and almost as realistic as i've ever seen in a film. But before the segment begins and De Niro auditions for the role as a police officer, it was my favorite/humorous scene where he talks to a mop and ladder. "What did you say to me? Make love, not war? Hey listen I make love very well!" So there's lots of information from the film. I would check it out if not seen yet. I believe a lot of people do not enjoy this film very much, despite all the racial elements in it, and stuff like that. But I would say that there was really nothing wrong with this film. It's a bright comedy from the 70's, and features the early career of Robert De Niro, and did a very well job as the character Jon Rubin. I enjoyed it! And I would like to say one thing...Hi, Mom!

I rated this movie in the middle only because I feel there were two distinct parts to the movie with an indecisive end. The first part, with Robert De Niro prominent is very funny, at time uproariously so. (The opening with Charles Durning is priceless.) The part with the theater of "Be Black Baby" was pretty strong stuff, even today. It was real and scary and had no relationship to the first part. This part was really tense and made me shudder several times.The problem I had was what did the De Niro part have to do with the "Be Black Baby" part. Maybe I am old-fashioned and wanted something more linear or, really, coherent. Perhaps the appeal of this movie is the lack of obedience to strictures. I do applaud that kind of freedom, but only when it works. I laughed and cringed during what felt like a double feature. Both parts work very well. But together they make an uneasy mix.