Netflix's #1 Hit Starring Sacha Baron Cohen Received 26% on RT – But It's Actually Not That Bad

Netflix has released Ladies First – the movie received a 26% score on RT, and there is a significant difference in ratings between male and female critics: male critics gave it low scores, while female critics were much more favorable.

What explains this polarization? Sacha Baron Cohen plays Damien, a staunch sexist and chauvinist who, after an accident, finds himself in a world where men and women have switched places.

What Is 'Ladies First' About?

Damien Sachs, a top ad executive at a major agency, is eyeing the CEO position and considers himself a leading candidate. After an important client expresses dissatisfaction with the lack of women in leadership positions, Damien randomly promotes Alex, who has worked at the company for 20 years.

Alex quickly realizes that she wasn't promoted for her good work. After confronting Damien about it, she causes him to crash into a pole and find himself in a brave new world of triumphant pseudo-matriarchy.

Although the oppression and humiliation remain the same, the opposite sex now suffers.

'Ladies First' Is a Crude And Straightforward but Effective Satire

Ladies First is a loose remake of the French comedy I Am Not an Easy Man, which grew out of the brilliant short film Oppressed Majority. The original story was nearly a horror – the main character experienced sexualized violence and was met with total apathy by the system.

The English-language version lacks subtlety and drama. Director Thea Sharrock builds plot intrigue through simple reversals, such as Damien getting waxed, choking on lettuce leaves at business dinners, and getting fillers.

The cast is perfect: no one could handle this level of eccentricity better than Sacha Baron Cohen, and Rosamund Pike convincingly portrays a seasoned office predator.

The crudeness of the jokes doesn't detract from their accuracy. For female viewers, the pressure of beauty standards, harassment, and constant mansplaining are not grotesque exaggerations but an everyday reality.

The Difference in Scores Was Inevitable

The phenomenally low Rotten Tomatoes rating of Ladies First is easily explained: male critics don't see themselves in what's happening on screen.

The movie's gender reversal is intended to disrupt viewers' automatic perceptions and expose culturally ingrained ideas in a way that reveals their absurdity.

The filmmakers' approach is not innovative; the movie is reminiscent of the classic comedy What Women Want and the dystopian flick Jacky in Women's Kingdom. However, it's striking that even such a simple message isn't widely understood.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Ladies First'?

• Ladies First has 26% from critics and 65% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 5.8/10.

• On Letterboxd, Ladies First scored 2.3/5.0.