Hello I Must Be Going

R

Released Sep 7, 2012

1 hr. 34 min.

Comedy

Drama

List

75%

51 Reviews

Tomatometer

55%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

A divorcee (Melanie Lynskey) moves back in with her parents and begins a clandestine affair with a 19-year-old suitor (Christopher Abbott).

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Premiered Jul 11

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Critics Consensus

Hello I Must Be Going offers an offbeat twist to the romance genre, a solid character study for fans of grown-up drama, and a career-making breakout vehicle for Melanie Lynskey.

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Charlotte

What a waste of time. The script, the characters, the plot are all dull and one dimensional. Really this type of film can only work if you like and root for the main character but unfortunately the main protagonist is a lazy, jobless slob who goes through the film feeling sorry for herself and doing nothing.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

11/22/23

Full Review

Emilliano Jr S

Melanie Lynskey is no doubt a trully great actress.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Spoilers: A study in not just the skillful Melanie's 30-something, wounded-by-life, mopey Amy, but also in a comfortable suburban lifestyle and the reality that moving back in with Mom and Dad atter her divorce is not just a two-edged sword but largely a pain in the ass, with mostly sympathetic John and self-absorbed, pushy Blythe. Awash in a sea of WTF, Amy is seeking something but again WTF, after giving up working on photography, for her lawyer hubby, and up pops very young acquaintance Jeremy, and boom. Call it passing the time with a 19-year-old. It is on the QT. When her mom calls the kid gay, she almost chokes on the corn on the cob, and Dad has to Heimlich her after which she laughs lustily, knowing what they do not. The kid surely gets Melanie's figurative juices flowing, as well as her literal juices. But like a kid, she is so about neither offending nor disappointing her parents, it's time to, uh, grow up. She gives the kid his walking papers, tries another date, to no avail. More socially unapproved stuff happens, and Amy finally tells off her chauvinistic ex-hubby, drops her loving teen-ager, who is headed for college, and makes a plan -- back to college for her, and a little stroking of her wounded Mom, in a bad marriage, on a trip. The humorous parts of this and of Amy help save this coming of age piece, this sheltered girl/woman, who at one point screams, "Where's the bottom?" She starts to make something happen, hard times or not, by deciding how to move forward. Bravo, Melanie; Blythe, a pro, stole her share of scenes. Abbott played it just right as the kid, seems to have a future.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

To be honest I kinda did like this movie and I decided I’m going to start going after recently divorced women . Thank you . I’m just gonna say 2.7 . I couldn’t tell my friends I gave it a 3. But I probably shoulda

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/12/20

Full Review

Audience Member

this movie taught me to listen to others opinion about me

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Much better than the description of the movie would lead you to suspect

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

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Todd Louiso

Director

Melanie Lynskey

Amy

Blythe Danner

Ruth

John Rubinstein

Stan

Sara Chase

Missy

Daniel Eric Gold

Noah

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Critics Consensus: The Words Doesn’t Know What To Say

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Calvin Wilson

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Hello I Must Be Going" is at once an intriguing character study and a refreshingly offbeat romance.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 18, 2012

Full Review

Ty Burr

Boston Globe

The movie's sharp-tongued and softhearted, a Sundance kind of film that mostly sidesteps generic Sundanceyness.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 18, 2012

Full Review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

The film is worth seeing for the performances, but the drama is a nonstarter.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 28, 2012

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Returning to the comically tragic tone that made his much hailed 2002 debut, Love Liza so noteworthy, Louiso manages to create a memorable showcase for undervalued character actress Melanie Lynskey.

Aug 5, 2019

Full Review

Landon Palmer

Film School Rejects

...a sincerely personal take on its subject matter, opting for three-dimensional leads and earned pathos over quirky character traits, cynical humor, or an invasively stylized visual approach.

Rated: B

Jun 2, 2014

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: B

Dec 7, 2012

Full Review

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Synopsis

A divorcee (Melanie Lynskey) moves back in with her parents and begins a clandestine affair with a 19-year-old suitor (Christopher Abbott).

Director: Todd Louiso
Executive Producer: Jonathan Gray, Victoria Guenier, Austin Stark, Benji Kohn, Chris Papavasiliou, Bingo Gubelmann
Screenwriter: Sarah Koskoff
Distributor: Oscilloscope Pictures
Production Co: Next Wednesday Productions
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 7, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 14, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $25.0K

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