Netflix‘s new R-rated fantasy remake of a notable French movie isn’t getting a lot of positive attention.
The comedic American remake of a 2018 French romantic comedy has debuted to a staggeringly low 18% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Netflix’s original movies sometimes include stories that are pulled from elsewhere for inspiration. Movies ranging from the sci-fi adventure film The Electric State to the mystery drama Remarkably Bright Creatures are adaptations that existed in other mediums prior to their onscreen debuts. However, there are additional sources for some films, too, including other movies being the main source of inspiration.
Such is the case with Ladies First. Based on the 2018 French movie I Am Not An Easy Man, Netflix’s first ever French-language film, Ladies First follows male supremacist Damien Sachs (Sacha Baron Cohen), a misogynist who is suddenly transported to a world where social dynamics between men and women are flipped. This causes him to butt heads with Alex Fox (Rosamund Pike), the female version of himself in this world, leading to a comedic conflict centered around the social ideas between men and women throughout.
Despite the intrigue such a premise concocts, the movie itself hasn’t made much of a splash. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Ladies First holds an 18% debut score with critics on the site, calculated based on its first 11 reviews. As of writing, this remains the film’s current score, with first impressions from critics being overwhelmingly negative. This is an unfortunate contrast to I Am Not An Easy Man, which managed to score a much higher 71% from audiences and multiple positive critic reviews upon its release.
According to critic reviews for Ladies First, the movie fails the use any subtle nor insightful commentary to get its message about gender roles across, instead utilizing the same elements in a cycle that doesn’t land. The storyline is considered by many to be uninspired, with the movie feeling more like a string of comedic ideas jumbled into a film rather than a cohesive project on its own. This is coupled by a storyline whose focus ends up going against many of the positive messages the movie is touting on its surface about men and women in society.
However, there is praise for Baron Cohen and Pike’s performances in the film, the duo, alongside a multitude of other actors, clearly doing their best with the script given. The movie was directed by Thea Sharrock with a screenplay from Natalie Krinsky, Cinco Paul, and Katie Silberman. Although the film presented a surface-level idea that could have laid the groundwork for a meaningful exploration of sexism, it instead wastes the opportunity, one of the biggest drawbacks of the movie according to critics.
It’s unclear what this performance means for Ladies First and its success on Netflix. The movie’s star power could still make it a promising movie to watch over the weekend, but there’s no guarantee audiences will feel positive about the movie either. The critics score is an unfortunate development for the movie, which has managed to earn the ire of many due to how its premise is presented.
- Release Date
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May 22, 2026
- Runtime
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90 minutes
- Director
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Thea Sharrock
- Writers
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Cinco Paul, Katie Silberman, Natalie Krinsky
- Producers
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Liza Chasin, Eleonore Dailly
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
