Netflix’s new comedy Ladies First has landed a number of brutal reviews, after arriving on the streaming service earlier today. The movie imagines a world where stereotypical gender roles are reversed, resulting in a matriarchal society.
Sacha Baron Cohen leads the cast as Damien Sachs, a sexist executive in line for a big promotion at a fancy advertising agency. But after being knocked unconscious, Damien wakes up to a parallel existence in which women are on top.
As he navigates his new life, Damien is forced to experience the stereotypical tribulations of the opposite sex, including objectification, being overlooked professionally and various gruelling beauty regimes.
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And what’s worse is his formerly junior colleague Alex (Rosamund Pike) is now his boss. Will Damien be able to handle a taste of his own medicine?
Directed by Thea Sharrock, the movie also stars Richard E Grant, Emily Mortimer, Charles Dance, Fiona Shaw, Weruche Opia, and Kathryn Hunter.
But despite the impressive cast, Ladies First has received an overwhelmingly negative response, with The Guardian branding it “painfully dated”.
“A misogynist is made to learn the error of his ways in this painfully dated and embarrassingly star-packed sexism comedy,” the one-star review reads, adding: “It’s also a criminal waste of talent, a murderers’ row of actors who hopefully got paid handsomely for the embarrassment of this whiffing up their IMDb pages.”
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The Telegraph awarded the movie two stars, and questioned: “What is Rosamund Pike doing in this stupid comedy?”
“Sacha Baron Cohen is knocked unconscious early in Netflix comedy Ladies First, a film that only sometimes makes you wish the same for yourself,” they wrote.
Meanwhile, The Financial Times also gave the comedy two stars, noting: “The dreary plot which eventually kicks in, and has Baron Cohen and Pike vying for a promotion, feels like something cut from one of the weaker Bridget Jones films – albeit shot in that odd Netflix house style that somehow looks simultaneously expensive and cheap.”
Ladies First is now streaming on Netflix.
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Divya is a freelance writer with experience in entertainment and lifestyle news. Described as a “telly addict” since childhood, Divya was able to translate her interests into a BJTC-accredited, Honours degree in Journalism and Media. After working in communications and marketing, Divya joined Digital Spy as a Freelance News Reporter. She has also written for various publications including Metro, Asian World News and TwitCelebGossip; as well as interviews, features and reviews on her own blog. Divya prides herself on her TV, film and showbiz knowledge, always offering (not so) fun facts to her long-suffering friends and family. From soaps to superheroes, Divya is the go-to person for tailored recommendations and up to date information.