Shani, I see your point of view and your critique is valid, but … You had me at hello was a gamechanger because

• Renée hit it out of the park with her delivery, equal parts sweet and cheesy and reconciliatory;
• It had the shared memories, trials and stumbles of the two characters behind it — this wasn’t their first meeting, but a first step to rebuilding a rocky relationship;
• It is such a simple & versatile line, I’ve heard many humorous variations over the years with hello replaced with you name it …