May 24, 2026 4:00pm IST
Ladies First Review: A Fun Role-Reversal Comedy That Plays It Safe
Damien Sachs (Sacha Baron Cohen) is a man who seemingly has it all: money, power and a revolving door of casual flings. As the smooth, unabashedly sexist next-in-line for the CEO position at Atlas Advertising Agency, his biggest immediate hurdle is a board demanding better gender balance in upper management. His fix? Get his secretary, Ruby (Weruche Opia), to promote a woman, for the optics. Ruby chooses the highly qualified Alex Fox (Rosamund Pike), whom Damien promptly undermines. After Alex overhears him bragging that she was hired purely as a diversity token, she quits in a huff. Giving chase, a tone-deaf and angry Damien slams headlong into a pole, knocks himself out, and wakes up in a parallel universe dominated by women.
This remake of Éléonore Pourriat’s 2018 French film “I Am Not an Easy Man” shows audiences a completely upended world. Harry Potter is Harriet Potter, billboard hoardings feature highly sexualized men and Damien’s dad is boxed up in the kitchen while his mother slouches in front of the television. At the office, Felicity (Fiona Shaw) is now the CEO, Alex holds Damien’s former position of power, and the janitor, Glenda (Kathryn Hunter), owns the company.
It is a classic case of the shoe being on the other foot. The idea is perfect for sharp social commentary, but the movie plays it too safe when it could and should have taken a bigger leap.
If a film is going to tackle a concept as deeply entrenched and layered as systemic gender bias, the narrative needs to go all the way. Unfortunately, “Ladies First” keeps its observations strictly at a superficial level.
Related Stories
To be fair, you can only fit so much nuance into a standard two-hour runtime. Furthermore, the creators wanted this to be a fun, breezy satirical comedy rather than a heavy, preachy lecture. But keeping a movie entertaining doesn't mean you have to sacrifice depth — that is precisely why an entire team of writers is hired.
We are in 2026; modern audiences—regardless of gender—expect and want more from their cinema. This isn’t a battle-of-the-sexes issue; it's a storytelling issue. Audiences today crave narratives that push boundaries rather than just playing the hits of basic role-reversal tropes.
Does the movie do enough to spark a surface-level conversation? It sure does. Watching Damien disoriented by the flipped power dynamics successfully makes the viewer pause and wonder what life truly feels like when roles are entirely reversed. The imagery is jarring enough to plant the seed of reflection. It makes you think—but it simply doesn't make you think enough.
Where the movie truly shines is in its individual performances, particularly when the cast is allowed to lean into the absurdity of the inversion. Fiona Shaw’s Felicity commands one of the absolute best and most delicious scenes in the entire film. In a brilliant subversion of the classic corporate casting-couch trope, Felicity invites Damien to her executive penthouse wearing nothing but a see-through terrycloth robe, confidently offering a bit of sexual quid pro quo.
Moments like these, alongside scenes where Alex and Felicity down highballs and devour heavy steaks at a business dinner even as a meek Damien sits across from them ordering a basic green salad, offer glimpses of the biting satire the movie could have been.
Ultimately, “Ladies First” acts as a blunt mirror. For men who routinely take the women in their lives (partners, family, or coworkers) for granted, the film carries a necessary, although exaggerated, lesson in empathy. The irony, of course, is that the very demographic that needs to absorb this message is the least likely to buy a ticket. It is a fun, light-hearted ride, but one that leaves you wishing it had dug a little deeper.
Comments are moderated. They may be edited for clarity and reprinting in whole or in part in Variety publications.