In 2014, French filmmaker Éléonore Pourriat released her short film “Oppressed Majority” with English subtitles on YouTube. The funny 11-minute film about a househusband who falls victim to sexual violence in a world where gender roles are completely upside down obviously hit a nerve and achieved very high click rates. This didn’t go unnoticed by Netflix either. Pourriat was hired to expand the idea. “No Man for Easy Hours” was released in 2018, incidentally the first French-language in-house production commissioned by the streaming service. Now they are trying to benefit from the topic again.
Far from the charm and refreshingly cheeky chutzpah of the original, director Thea Sharrock (“Little Dirty Letters”) presents “Ladies First,” an English-language remake of the hit comedy. However, after its release on the short message service X, the trailer received some negative reactions from very different directions. And one can certainly ask whether it isn’t a rather strange kind of feminism when clichés of toxic masculinity are simply served by female characters. In fact, it is precisely this weakness that cannot be dismissed. In any case, “Ladies First” is not original or progressive. But it’s still enough for entertaining entertainment thanks to the tongue-in-cheek game with brand names and the “Borat” star Sacha Baron Cohen, who is always happy to play.
Sacha Baron Cohen can really hit the drums.
Damien Sachs (Sacha Baron Cohen) works in the management level of the London Atlas advertising agency and is considered a candidate for the position of the new CEO. Above all, he is a chauvinist to the letter. While his own wear and tear on women is high, there are no female managers in the company. Major customer Guinness, which wants to promote its new beer specifically for women, is threatening to terminate the cooperation as a result. Damien spontaneously (and quite arbitrarily) promotes long-time employee Alex Fox (Rosamund Pike) as the new creative director.
However, he and the rest of the male leadership around the sexist patriarch Fred Powell (Charles Dance) are not interested in their good arguments for the campaign. When Alex quits because of this, Damien runs after her and bangs his head directly into a metal post. When he comes to again, the world has changed. Because he suddenly lives in a world in which women have taken charge and treat men with contemptuous sexism. Above all, the tough Alex occupies Damien’s office and has the best chance of becoming CEO of the company…
From Burger Queen to Victor’s Secret
In this matriarchy, which is (at first) foreign to Damien, the gender roles are reversed – and with them political protest movements (“My sperm, my decision!”), famous works of art (a Mona Lisa with a beard) and brand names, which, if you look closely, always cause a grin in the background of the picture. At Burger Queen, limp buns with beef patties are no longer considered fast food, but rather al dente carrots. At Victor’s Secret, the well-groomed and toned men of creation buy lace lingerie with extra inserts for their crown jewels. Of course, they have undergone body hair removal and penis rejuvenation beforehand. Just when Damien has to endure these brutal beauty treatments, memories of Mel Gibson’s (much more harmless) leg shaving in the somewhat more subtle women’s understanding comedy “What Women Want” come back to life. “Ladies First” also has some parallels in the plot.
The sometimes rather raucous goings-on aren’t particularly original. Ultimately, macho clichés of lazy, farting couch potatoes, superficial promiscuity and wild drinking sessions are simply transferred to female characters without any ironic refraction. Although that should at least give Rosamund Pike (“In The Grey”) plenty of room to shine, she gets a little short-changed as an ice-cold career woman with a penchant for fast cars and at the same time a mother with a big heart. In return, Sacha Baron Cohen, as a greasy, slimy careerist, is allowed to put in a lot of effort in the competition with his job rival.
Sacha Baron Cohen delivers below the belt
As in his two “Borat” films, he is once again not above the below-the-belt gags and situational comedy – accompanied by wild grimacing. So the new company boss Felicity Chase (Fiona Shaw), dressed only in a bathrobe, asks him to bring her to ecstasy in the role of a skimpily costumed cowboy and not just brandish his two guns. With a deep southern accent, Baron Cohen delivers with relish. That’s a bit rough, but it suits this film – and much better than the softened finale. There is a desperate attempt to win over fans of shallower RomComs. The majority of the target group probably used the option to switch off or switch off while streaming many minutes earlier.
Conclusion: “Ladies First” is certainly not suitable as a cinematic spearhead of feminism in Hollywood. But at least it’s enough for 90 minutes of rough entertainment – especially thanks to a once again shame-free performance from Sacha Baron Cohen.