Jun 06, 2026 10:00pm IST
‘Office Romance’ Review: Jennifer Lopez, Brett Goldstein’s Less Sizzle, More Giggle Rom-Com Surprisingly Works
A rom-com pairing Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein does feel like, to quote the best character of “Office Romance,” “Helen of Troy” is with “Mr. Bean.” But Ol Parker’s Netflix film, co-written by Goldstein and Joe Kelly, is endearing because of how adorable the initial awkwardness is of these two unlikely characters coming together. With its motley ensemble of quirky supporting characters and a surprisingly well-written female lead, this workplace romance does cruise (or Cruz?) through decently on its performance review.
“Office Romance” is rather derivative and business-as-usual in its use of rom-com tropes. The film’s opening sequence makes it seem like the two leads are on a date with each other, except — act surprised — it’s with different people. Daniel Blanchflower (a nod to the Irish footballer and “Ted Lasso”, perhaps?) is an in-house legal counsel at Air Cruz. Jacqueline “Jackie” Cruz is its CEO, a nepotism appointment that the company’s board of directors isn’t particularly tickled about.
Despite Jackie being a pilot and her business acumen, they don’t take her seriously. It doesn’t help that her father and company founder, Captain Jack, treats her with kid gloves and calls her “Gordita” (Little Fatty) as a term of endearment in board meetings. When a rival airline sues Cruz Air, and the lead counsel is incapacitated, Jackie and Daniel’s (Jack Daniel?) paths cross. Sparks fly, some in rather NSFW ways. But respect for company policy and the nature of the lawsuit keep them apart and the sexual tension high.
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The rest of “Office Romance” goes as you’d expect it to. But the journey to the true love’s kiss and happily ever after (that happens at a press conference à la another American-British rom-com, “Notting Hill”) is a mostly fun, giggly, even if cheesy ride. The first time Daniel sees Jackie, she’s framed like a glossy, soft-lit commercial, and because that is Jennifer Lopez’s natural aura, that instant “Holy shit!” reaction from Daniel feels real.
The mismatch between the lead pair is very quickly dispelled because Brett Goldstein’s Daniel is charming in the most organic, normal way. In a deposition scene, with a surprising and bang-on “Suits” cameo, Daniel channels Harvey Specter minus the cockiness, which makes Jackie’s interest in him feel earned. The chemistry between Lopez and Goldstein isn’t sizzling or electric, but sweet enough to make you smile.
Not to spoil the surprise, but the film later explains exactly why she might’ve been predisposed to falling for the British dude, but that’s another one of “Office Romance”’s little writing wins — the way it integrates the cultural clashes into the story.
In the hands of Goldstein and Kelly, the writing really remembers to put the ‘com’ in the rom-com. The gags, like Daniel’s casual use of a British word that Americans deem an expletive, are cheesy but never feel like they don’t belong. Occasionally, they even go unexpectedly (but aptly) NSFW, like when Jackie gets a “standing ovation” from Daniel simply because she shook his hand. Or the end credits, when the HR gets a series of visits from employees who admit to increasingly scandalous affairs in the workplace.
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The supporting cast of “Office Romance,” which includes Bradley Whitford, Jodie Whittaker, Amy Sedaris and Tony Hale, deserves its flowers for the wacky characters they pull off. But the funniest and best character of the lot is, hands down, Betty Gilpin’s shrewd and indomitable Sydney Bloom, Jackie’s nine-months-pregnant assistant/work bestie, who won’t let anything get in the way of girl bossing, not even the birth of her child.
But the humor aside, “Office Romance” is interested in being seen as a tad more serious than the other entries in the genre. It doesn’t spoof the rules of its workplace setting. Rather, it wants to highlight just how hard it is today for people to form genuine connections, and how workplace entanglements might be unavoidable because co-workers are the people we’re spending hours on end with.
Its biggest win, however, is in how it treats its female lead, Jackie, and the ambition of women in the workplace (like Sydney), who are forced to constantly prove themself and cannot make mistakes. Any doubts about Daniel’s capabilities to take over a senior counsel’s position are dismissed by one speech from him; however, it takes Jackie an entire film to prove to the board that she is fantastic at her job.
All in all, “Office Romance” may not be the rom-com you’ve been waiting for. But it is still a refreshingly memorable one, owing to this unlikely yet sweet pairing and its funny supporting acts.
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