Netflix's 'Ladies First,' a gender-flip comedy directed by Thea Sharrock, has received largely negative reviews from critics but remains an essential watch for its unflinching portrayal of gender bias. The film stars Sacha Baron Cohen as Damien, a male chauvinist who wakes up in a world run by women who mirror his own ruthless behavior in the boardroom and bedroom. Co-starring Rosamund Pike and Fiona Shaw, the film uses role reversal to highlight double standards and gendered language, such as men being talked over in meetings or expected to conform to unrealistic beauty standards.
Critics Pan It, Audiences Respond
While critics have panned the film—with a Rotten Tomatoes aggregate score of 26%—audiences have been more receptive, giving it a 64% popcornometer rating. UK broadsheet reviews were all written by men, reflecting the gender imbalance in film criticism. However, audience reactions on platforms like Reddit reveal its impact. One male viewer wrote: 'I've always considered myself a feminist... The whole role reversal does not seem so shocking were it the original format, which got me thinking that maybe we as men don't truly understand how women are treated in life.'
Addressing Denial of Sexism
The film aims to tackle the denial that sexism still exists. Farah Benis, founder of the Centre for Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls, found the film 'deeply disappointing' but stressed that dismissing experiences of harassment doesn't make them less real. 'The excuse many men like to give is they'd never behave like that: every woman has experienced some sort of abuse, yet no man knows an abuser,' she said. Tanya Loeb, a human resources manager, noted that scenes around workplace harassment and appearance pressure 'showed how normalised those experiences can be for women.'
Satire with a Point
Ellen Pollak, emeritus professor of feminist theory at Michigan State University, defended the film's hyperbolic satire: 'Do I think the gender asymmetries represented here are entirely exaggerated? I'm afraid I don't. Nor do I think we live in a post-feminist world in which sexism is a thing of the past.' As long as gender inequality persists, 'Ladies First' serves as a valuable testimony to its enduring destructive force.
