Hi, Mom! (1970) ***

Hi, Mom! (1970), the sequel to Brian De Palma's 1968 film Greetings, is the best of his early films with Robert De Niro (who reprises his role from that earlier film). It's one part darkly humorous sex farce, one part disturbing and radical recreation of the black experience in America, described by writer Charles Hirsch as "Taxi Driver (1976) lite". The tonal shifts are jarring, but I think that's the point. The filmmaking runs the gamut of styles, from De Niro's Jon Rubin character's "peep art" to the rough 'n tumble B&W documentary style of the film-within-a-film Be Black, Baby to more traditional narrative storytelling. It makes for a bit of a schizophrenic filmgoing experience but one that is never boring.

You can find my Brian De Palma Feature Films Ranked list here.