Most recognizable for her recurring role on Two and a Half Men as Charlie’s stalker neighbor, Rose, New Zealander Melanie Lynskey burst into film at age 16 with an award-winning turn in Peter Jackson’s exquisite Heavenly Creatures opposite Kate Winslet. Nearly three decades later, her career has taken a markedly different course from her costar’s—recognizable by face if not by name, she’s had minor roles of the “She was in that!?” variety in dozens of films, including Win Win, Up in the Air and Flags of Our Fathers. As a result, she’s woefully underrated as an actress, for her work in Hello I Must Be Going is subtle and tender.
Devastated by her recent divorce, Amy (Lynskey) moves back into her parents’ suburban Connecticut home. She’s left everything behind—her photo negatives, her clothes, her alimony—and so depends entirely on them as if she were a kid again. She hasn’t left the house—or changed her red T-shirt—for three months, sleeping late after staying up late watching Marx Brothers movies. (The song for which the film is named was made famous by Groucho in Animal Crackers.)
Dad Stan (John Rubinstein) is supportive, but Mom Ruth (Blythe Danner) wants her to shape up and find something nice to wear to an important dinner party. The house is under constant renovation, her dad would like to retire, and her mom wants to take a trip around the world, but they’ve been hit hard by the recession, and her dad needs to land an important client. Their situation not only ratchets up the tension for what happens next but adds layers of human experience, revealing a poignant shift in perspective in the film’s coda. As peevish as Ruth is, Danner infuses her with plucky pathos that ends Hello on this revelatory note.