CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · Arts & Letters

The Oh in Ohio

2006 film

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionFeb 25, 2026
Entity authorityQ2044809
Source-derived summary

The Oh in Ohio is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Billy Kent and starring Parker Posey, Paul Rudd, Mischa Barton and Danny DeVito. The picture was screened at several US film festivals from March to May 2006 and was released theatrically by Cyan Pictures on July 14, 2006. Set in Cleveland, much of the film was shot on location at well-known Cleveland area landmarks such as Coventry Village and Case Western Reserve University.

Plot

Frustrated with the fact that he cannot give his wife Priscilla (Parker Posey) an orgasm, Jack (Paul Rudd) moves out of the house and starts a relationship with Kristen (Mischa Barton), his student. Unfulfilled, Priscilla forms an unlikely partnership with Wayne (Danny DeVito), a businessman more than twice her age.

Cast

Parker Posey as Priscilla Chase

Paul Rudd as Jack Chase

Danny DeVito as Wayne the Pool Guy

Mischa Barton as Kristen Taylor

Miranda Bailey as Sherri

Keith David as Coach Popovich

Liza Minnelli as Alyssa Donahue

Heather Graham as Justine

Tim Russ as Douglas

Adam Nelson as Kid at Vending Machine

Reception

The film was a commercial failure, earning $648,183 on a $5 million budget at the box office. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 23% approval rating based on 70 reviews, with an average score of 4.7/10 and the website's consensus reads, "A muddled sex-comedy that feels oddly sexless, The Oh in Ohio packs in too many ideas without establishing a clear identity or objective." Dan Callahan of Slant gave the film 0 stars out of 4, calling it an "implausible, weirdly depressed comedy", adding "there isn't one laugh in it". Entertainment Weekly was more favorable, giving the film a 'B−', with Owen Gleiberman describing it as "a silly, amusing trifle".

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “The Oh in Ohio” as 2006 film. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Ohio and film.

Editorial reviewBest approached as a cultural-object dossier: authorship and date matter, but circulation and reception often explain the wider significance. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2006—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 2006-01-01. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Ohio and film providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “The Oh in Ohio”, the useful work is to connect “2006 film” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2044809. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2006.

Critical limits

Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “The Oh in Ohio”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow The Oh in Ohio primary sources, The Oh in Ohio archive and Ohio research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “The Oh in Ohio”?
  2. Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
  3. How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from The Oh in Ohio” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.