Verdict
Summary
An early film from Brian De Palma with a wildly uneven satirical tone, Hi, Mom! is an uncomfortable watch with its overtly brazen commentary on sex, race, and society on the brink of revolt, circa 1969 when it was shot. De Niro is fun to watch, but the movie is almost like an adult version of MAD magazine or National Lampoon, sending a controversial message out to the masses through its super low budget, indie renegade spirit, and a desire to shock. As such, the audience for this is limited.
Plot:
A Vietnam vet comes home and reinvents himself several times, using a camera as his tool.
Review:
Jon (Robert De Niro, still in his 20s) comes home from Vietnam, surprisingly chipper and optimistic about his options in life. He lands in New York, where he rents out a scuzzy apartment that is literally falling apart, and he buys a small film camera and pitches himself to a pornographer in town, convincing the investor to give him two thousand bucks on retainer to candidly film his neighbors in compromising positions, creating “erotic art” in motion, unbeknownst to everyone. The gimmick is new and appealing, and Jon gives it a try, but he flubs it up when he fails at the eroticism and ends up disappointing the investor. Turning his attentions and camera elsewhere, he joins an acting troupe spearheaded by a black militant group that uses him as their documentarian as they terrorize the neighborhood with their gorilla tactics and invasive, so-called revolution against society, which only works so long before he realizes he’s in way over his head. With an optimistic attitude and a devoted girlfriend (a sweet gal from across the street that he lied to and charmed into a first date), Jon might just have a future, but as what is anybody’s guess.
An early film from Brian De Palma with a wildly uneven satirical tone, Hi, Mom! is an uncomfortable watch with its overtly brazen commentary on sex, race, and society on the brink of revolt, circa 1969 when it was shot. De Niro is fun to watch, but the movie is almost like an adult version of MAD magazine or National Lampoon, sending a controversial message out to the masses through its super low budget, indie renegade spirit, and a desire to shock. As such, the audience for this is limited.
Radiance Films brings Hi, Mom! to 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray in a sharp restoration, and the film is given the deluxe treatment with Criterion-level care to bring the film back in print. With a reversible sleeve, a booklet, and choice bonus features, including a bonus early feature film by De Palma, this one belongs on the shelf of De Niro’s fans, as well as fans of the filmmaker.
Bonus Materials
- New 4K restoration from the original camera negative, presented in Dolby Vision HDR
- 4K UHD and Blu-ray presentation of the feature; world premiere on 4K UHD
- Uncompressed mono audio
- Audio commentary by writer Travis Woods (2026)
- Interview with critic Ellen E. Jones (2026)
- Dionysus in ‘69 – an experimental theater production of Euripides’ ‘The Bacchae’, filmed by Brian de Palma (1970, 85 mins)
- Archival interview with co-writer Charles Hirsch (2018)
- Trailer
- Optional English SDH subtitle track
- Reversible sleeve featuring artwork based on original posters
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Matt Zoller Seitz
- Limited edition of 5000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
