Netflix has revived the dreadful British comedy of the 2000s with Ladies First, a broad and chintzy film that feels old hat. This high-concept thought experiment imagines a world with flipped gender politics, but it is excruciatingly unfunny and far too pleased with itself. It wastes a murderer's row of talented actors, including Rosamund Pike, who deserves far better after her iconic role in Gone Girl. Sacha Baron Cohen is jarringly miscast as Damien Sachs, a sexist man who learns his lesson after bumping his head and waking up in a reversed world.
A One-Joke Premise Stretched Too Thin
The film's conceit sees Damien navigate a world where women are on top. Paul Smith becomes Pauline, bras are for balls, and Damien is now a sexually harassed underling at an advertising agency. Pike plays Alex, a put-upon single mother turned ruthless executive. With help from Richard E Grant's magical hobo, Damien must compete without the system on his side. The premise, like I Feel Pretty and Isn't It Romantic, collapses under its own weight. The one-joke premise is stretched beyond limits, with inconsistent world-building and a painfully repetitive script that hammers home the same point about sexism without adding anything smart or sharp.
Painfully Unfunny and Earnest
Even at 84 minutes, Ladies First is a slog. The jokes—like swapping motherfucker for fatherfucker—are pained and basic. The script clumsily points out stereotypes without offering humour. Director Thea Sharrock and the writers seem to expect applause for their shallow observations. The film, a remake of a French Netflix comedy, offers bizarre moments like Kathryn Hunter drunkenly doing the splits or Fiona Shaw orgasming to death, but they are not funny. By the end, the film becomes laughably earnest, as if teaching a lesson about male chauvinism. The real lesson is the dire state of comedy films in 2026.
Ladies First is out now on Netflix.
