In this very late 60__APOS__s irreverent, almost anarchic low-budget film, Brian De Palma defines more of his strange, given Hitchcock-like fascination of voyeurism, and attacks the issues of the day. The most prominent of which, both cringe-inducing and just plain funny, is when he focuses on the black-power movement (a black woman handing out fliers asking white people __APOS__do you know what it__APOS__s like to be black__APOS__), which is something that could only work for that time and place, not before or now.
But one of the key things to the interest in the film is 27 year old Robert De Niro (not his first or last film with the director), who plays this character who sits in a room looking out through his telescope at women in their rooms, setting up phony deals, and in the end basically throwing bombs. Those who have said that De Niro can__APOS__t act and just is himself in every movie should see this movie, if only out of some minor curiosity. A couple of times in the film it__APOS__s actually not funny, as when there__APOS__s a disturbance in a black-power meeting (filmed in a grainer, rougher style than the rest of the film).
In the end it__APOS__s capped off with a rambling monologue in an interview that tops De Niro__APOS__s in King of Comedy. It__APOS__s pretty obvious where De Palma__APOS__s career would go after this, into slightly more mainstream Hollywood territory, but all of his trademarks are here; the dark, almost nail-biting comedy, the perfectly timed style of voyeurism, and interesting usage of locals. Think if De Palma and De Niro did a Monty Python film, only even more low-budget and in its New York way just as off-the-hinges, and you got Hi, Mom! It also contains an eccentric and funny soundtrack.
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