Movie Review: Ladies First
Ladies First is a high-concept comedy remake of the French film I Am Not an Easy Man. Set in London, this reimagining centers on a high-end advertising agency where the male-dominated executive management team is trying to introduce Alex Fox, a token female executive, to sell their new female-oriented beer campaign. When the chauvinistic and smooth-talking Damien Sachs hits his head, he wakes up to find the roles reversed in a world where women are on top and Alex is in charge. In this age of gender politics and heightened sensitivity around addressing past injustices and inequalities, a film like Ladies First is bound to cause some friction based on its edgy, albeit timely, premise.
Headlining the film with Sacha Baron Cohen, known for his controversial mockumentaries, is a smart move to signal an in-your-face attitude and an anything-goes atmosphere – even if the movie is ultimately closer in tone to star vehicles for Rowan Atkinson or Ricky Gervais. Casting Baron Cohen offers the film a certain license, though it’s an opportunity that isn’t fully exploited in true Sacha Baron Cohen style. Having racked up contentious and edgy comedies with Brüno and Borat usually spearheading the misadventure, this effort is quite conservative by contrast. While there’s an undercurrent of shock value, most of the jokes are only racy by virtue of the gender role reversal. Depending on how sensitive a particular audience is to broad gender stereotyping, the film’s reception will vary widely.
Ordinarily, having a wild card like Baron Cohen would put this film in a specific bracket, but his presence is tempered by the fact that he’s not playing one of his own self-devised characters, but rather attempting to play it straight. This casting is softened even further by Rosamund Pike, whose grace and gravitas go a long way to balance out the ribald sense of humour that tends to follow her co-star. Serving as his equal opposite, she is more than up to the task and is well-known for playing strong, no-nonsense women. It makes this match-up quite exciting as the two come to blows from opposite sides of the spectrum.
Self-deprecation is a very British aspect of comedy, and it comes through strongly in Ladies First as a high-powered executive is forced to eat his words and develop a sense of humility – realising that the path to enlightenment requires him to adapt to the bottom of the ladder. He’s forced to play the game as masculinity and femininity are given the old switcheroo. While there are more hits than misses when it comes to the role-reversal comedy, a healthy sense of schadenfreude provides the undercurrent that maintains tension and delivers thought-provoking commentary while the film attempts a lighter, satirical take on a heavy social issue.
“Phwoar!”
Ultimately, the film isn’t trying to change the world, but rather to entertain – with ripple effects of leaning into this kind of comedy. Its platform on Netflix gives it some clout in terms of being seen far and wide, but director Thea Sharrock seems mostly concerned with having a laugh with a cheeky sense of humour rather than getting bogged down in politics. The upbeat soundtrack reinforces this point with nostalgic hits that add an Adam Sandler-style audience satisfaction.
Based on the original film, this revision exists mostly to create an English counterpart, perhaps using the excuse of being a remake rather than a pioneering original. While Sacha Baron Cohen definitely creates some buzz, his tethered performance and efforts to be charming are not entirely his forte. Being able to poke fun at himself is one of his secret weapons, and this is perhaps the biggest reason he fits a part that could have easily been played by someone with a cleaner film history. Perhaps having him there is a chance to throw balls at the carnival tank and hope he plunges into the water, making the prospect more inviting for viewers who usually find him difficult to stomach. Rosamund Pike is always a reliable contender and makes every film she’s in better; she does the same for Ladies First, even if the overall results are questionable.
In terms of execution, the film does most of what you would expect with a slightly risqué sense of humour revolving around sexual conquest. However, the see-sawing romance at its core helps soften the edges, as a womaniser is given a chance to live through the experiences of the very women he once exploited and objectified. Ladies First certainly has some fun, imaginative ideas, going to town on the efforts of men to get makeovers and be held to the same aesthetic standards as women. On a separate note, the heavy amount of overt product placement is a bit annoying, though it isn’t a stretch for an ad agency setting, and the featured brand is at least in on the joke.
Ladies First makes for a great discussion starter through its fun switcheroo, successfully turning the tables to provoke both laughter and thought. However, much like What Women Want, it occasionally struggles to balance its entertainment ambitions against its social commentary, leading to a somewhat garbled message. It ultimately has its heart in the right place, even if the execution is sometimes found wanting.
The bottom line: Uneven
