Netflix's #1 Movie Is a Cringefest With 49% on RT That Even JLo & 'Ted Lasso' Talent Couldn't Save

Netflix has released yet another rom-com about a career woman who sacrifices her personal life for her professional ambitions. Ol Parker's Office Romance, starring Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein, topped the charts but earned only a 49% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

It was certainly unrealistic to expect high stakes and a deep exploration of the realities of love complicated by work dynamics from a Netflix project.

Instead of the promised fantasy about office romance, viewers get a forced, cringe-worthy comedy with no spark or chemistry and no reason to watch it to the end.

What Is 'Office Romance' About?

Jackie Cruz, the CEO of a major airline, has been accused of using sex to make lucrative deals. New corporate lawyer Daniel Blanchflower must defend his boss's honor.

Sparks fly between the executive and his subordinate at the very first meeting, and within days, their electric greetings escalate into secret kisses and passionate business trips.

The problem is that corporate bylaws prohibit coworkers from entering into relationships. Sooner or later, the executive and the lawyer will have to choose between staying employed and falling in love.

The Movie Is Lacking in Chemistry, Offering Cringe Comedy Instead of Romance

The main problem with Office Romance is the complete lack of chemistry between the leads. Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein are such an absurd couple that the characters around them compare them directly to Helen of Troy and Mr. Bean.

It seems that only cinematographer Robert Yeoman was interested in creating a convincing love story – he enlivened the flat relationship by framing the characters in cozy sunlight.

However, technical means alone cannot build love onscreen. The jokes rely on absurdity and the characters' emotional immaturity – they involve a series of awkward situations, from Daniel's erection during the sweet encounter scene to the discovery of Jackie's fetish room.

Instead of laughing with the characters, we laugh at them – and not always willingly. Like a burned-out employee threatened with dismissal, Office Romance takes on too many tasks and only half-completes each one.

'Office Romance' Fails to Bring Any of Its Themes to a Logical Conclusion

Through Jackie's storyline, the director attempts to highlight the misogyny and intolerance toward beautiful women in leadership positions that pervade the business world. However, Parker does not chastise the misogynists and quickly deviates from the topic, moving on to a critique of nepotism.

The movie both romanticizes the office routine as a form of escapism and scolds the characters for their workaholism. It humorously exposes a corporate culture that welcomes sacrifices but fails to compensate for them.

The twists and turns of the workplace and the search for balance between personal and professional desires fuel the plot. However, they fail to change the status quo or lead the characters to important conclusions.

While When Harry Met Sally manages to upend genre tropes and analyze the structure of relationships in an hour and a half, Office Romance struggles to craft a simple, compelling love story in two hours.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Office Romance'?

• Office Romance has 49% from critics and 50% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 6.0/10.

• On Letterboxd, Office Romance scored 2.5/5.0.