>>REVIEW
THE OH IN OHIO
Directed by Billy Kent and Adam Wierzbianski
Alliance Atlantis Home Video, 2006
In case you’re wondering, this is a sex comedy and the Oh stands for the big one – sexual climax. While this film from newcomers Billy Kent and Adam Wierzbianski centres heavily on the ramifications this momentous moment has on the lives of both sexes, in point of fact, the script is the one thing keeping this film from achieving liftoff.
Shot on location in Cleveland, Ohio, The Oh in Ohio follows the disintegration of 10 years of marriage between Priscilla and Jack (Parker Posey and Paul Rudd). Priscilla is a "sexually dysfunctional" public-relations agent who has never had an orgasm, while Jack is an emasculated high school biology teacher. Priscilla drives a luxury sedan and has just received a promotion – Jack drives a rusted station wagon, wears moth-eaten tweed sports jackets and drinks beer discreetly during class.
Jack feels inadequate. His wife’s dysfunction has left him a veritable shell of a man and his enthusiasm for his personal and professional life is also somewhat in question. It’s little surprise that when Priscilla – heeding the advice of a marriage counsellor – finds salvation in the power of batteries, Jack finally succumbs to the advances of an alluring and promising student (Mischa Barton). Before you can say American Beauty, Jack is a well-dressed man living in a swank bachelor pad, jogging every morning with a renewed interest in teaching and even considering going back to school.
Priscilla, to her credit, is no worse for wear from the separation. After overcoming an initial addiction to her self-induced pleasure, she begins to finally discover the fringe benefits of the opposite sex and eventually finds equilibrium, falling for the local pool man (Danny Devito).
Now is the point in a synopsis when you might expect to see an adverb like "however" or "but" or even an "unbeknownst to them" that would then be supported by the description of a final turn of events in the film (the second plot point if you will) that would direct the action to some form of resolution. However, that is not the case here.
Despite all its meditation on the subject, the film itself lacks any sort of climax. Perhaps there was some sort of ironic intention by these young filmmakers (though, I doubt it), but either way there is not enough substance in the script to support such an endeavour. And while we do see a dramatic arc in Priscilla’s character, from rigid career woman to hedonist to a self-assured, independent spirit, the film does not work as a character study alone.
That’s not to say this is a terrible film, there are a few solid comedic moments (Keith David as Jack’s best friend provides a few) and Devito’s character is a welcomed infusion into (what should be) the film’s third act, it’s just that as a whole this movie doesn’t fly. |
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