There exists an unusual subgenre in which a protagonist sustains some manner of injury—a blow to the head, electrocution, what have you—only to awaken in a world they no longer recognize, sometimes with heightened abilities in tow. Mark Twain offers one early example with “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court,” where a late-19th-century man is inexplicably transported back in time after being struck with a crowbar. Mel Gibson got a different kind of superpower in the forgotten 2000 rom-com “What Women Want,” where an accidental electrocution allows his chauvinistic advertising executive to hear women’s thoughts.
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All of that comes together, more or less, in “Ladies First,” a Netflix comedy where the device kicks off a film in which nearly everything happens exactly as expected—unless you’ve already tuned out by then, in which case you’ll miss the normally wonderful Richard E. Grant as a homeless, interdimensional bird owner.
Does that grab your attention? Hopefully, because little else in this too-long, 93-minute Netflix escapade breaks anything resembling new ground. The film is held together by average-to-lackluster work from its two leads, Rosamund Pike and Sacha Baron Cohen, who play Alex and Damian, respectively. Damian is introduced, leaving the bedroom of his latest conquest, sliding through a boilerplate morning-after exchange. At the same time, Atli Örvarsson’s score leans so heavily into Bond-adjacent swagger that, for a moment, it almost feels as if another movie is about to begin.
Unfortunately, this is not a new plunge into the life of 007, but rather the story of Damian, an advertising executive charged with securing a Guinness contract and building a campaign aimed at women. Needing a woman to help sell his supposed appreciation for the gender, Damian promotes Alex, a 20-year agency veteran who has recently returned to work after time off to care for her daughter. Her first meeting goes about as badly as expected: Damian ignores her ideas, then regurgitates them as his own. Disgusted, Alex quits. Damian follows her outside, the two trade barbs on a busy sidewalk, and then his forehead meets a nearby pole. Ouch.
When Damian wakes up, the world has changed. Alex is not only still employed, but now occupies Damian’s office and job. Damian has been demoted to Alex’s Creative Director slot, while the men in the office have largely been pushed into support roles. The role reversal extends beyond the workplace: “Don Quixote” has become “Donna Quixote,” Burger King is now Burger Queen, and even the Holy Trinity gets a gender-flipped tweak in a gag apparently designed to make one rub their temples. At one point, Alex asks Damian if his sudden emotional surge means it’s “that time of the week.” There is an explanation, technically, though it may send your eyes rolling out of sight.
Naturally, Damian wants his old life back, and this is where Grant’s Pigeon Man enters the picture. Another traveler from Damian’s universe, he has spent a long stretch in this alternate reality and informs Damian that the only way home is to reclaim his original job. The mechanics of the reality shift are barely addressed, and the screenplay never offers Damian a more meaningful motivation than professional advancement. The objectification of women receives a welcome reversal as Damian endures catcalls, body shaming, and other indignities, while Alex and her team—including Fiona Shaw as Felicity, formerly a receptionist and now Alex’s right hand, and Kathryn Hunter as Glenda, once the cleaning lady and now Chairwoman of the board—appear to enjoy the screenplay’s treatment of men. The actresses give it some lift, even as the material’s commitment rises and falls from scene to scene.
The bigger issue is the lack of originality. From the sigh-inducing jokes to the rom-com blueprint “Ladies First” never strays from, the film keeps threatening to become stranger and more interesting than it is. Even Grant’s pigeon-festooned prophet fails to push the movie into weirder territory. Enemies become lovers. Will they or won’t they? Maybe he’ll learn something about himself. Fill in the blanks, and you’ve essentially seen the film.
Cohen can still flash a debonair smile, and the Bond-lite motif might make one wonder whether this is some strange audition reel. He has done better work across multiple genres. Pike fares somewhat better, but following the dismal “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” and “In the Grey,” there is little here to help her current run.
At the very least, one can imagine an alternate reality in which a sharper, stranger version of this premise has recently been released—a romantic comedy that actually breaks ground and gives its two stars something worthy of their abilities. In the meantime, all we can do is wish for our own reality shift, preferably to one where “Ladies First” never existed at all. [D]
