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Ladies First is a painfully unfunny attempt at comedy that fails to exploit
Sacha Baron Cohen's impressive comedic talents. The dated film is a loose remake
of the 2018 French film, I Am Not an Easy Man, directed and co-written by
Eléonore Pourriat. However, this version has a thin plot, is poorly written,
and, worst of all, is painfully unfunny. It is a vastly inferior remake in every
way of its superior French counterpart.
The film was directed by Thea Sharrock, who previously worked on episodes of the
splendid Shakespeare TV adaptation The Hollow Crown (2012) and the BBC series
Call the Midwife (2013-2014). She also worked on the critically acclaimed films,
Me Before You (2016), Wicked Little Letters (2023), and The Beautiful Game
(2024).
Ladies First stars Sacha Baron Cohen, who has done hysterically funny work in
the TV programs Da Ali G Show (2000-2004), Who Is America (2018), and The Spy
(2019). He expanded his repertoire by playing Abby Hoffman in The Trial of the
Chicago 7 (2016) and the demon Mephisto in Ironheart (2025). But his best work
was in the comedy classics,
BORAT
(2005), Bruno (2009), and The Dictator (2011).
Unfortunately, because comedic tastes have changed and people are far more
sensitive today, the last three films could never have been made in today's
cultural climate.
I saw Ladies First mostly because I have been a big fan of Sacha Baron Cohen’s
work for years. Unfortunately, he is woefully miscast here in the role of Damien
Sachs, a suave, sexist, womanizing man who disrespects all women. He is supposed
to be what used to be called a “playboy”, but Cohen lacks the confidence, charm,
and swagger to sell the role convincingly. Most of the film delivers his
predictable comeuppance and eventual transition to some newfound wisdom. It is
by far the weakest and least effective project Cohen has ever worked on.
In this, the magical-realism comedy is a sexist narrative in which the
protagonist predictably learns what it’s like to be a woman and then learns his
lesson. It is reminiscent of Fellini's 1980 City of Women, one of the master’s
most uneven films, but that film uses a similar idea far better. Here, the
agent, Damien, falls and hits his head on the pavement. When he wakes up, he
finds he now lives in an alternate reality where women hold all the power, and
men are confined to the margins of society. In this new world, people dine at
Burger Queen, and men are expected to get oral contraceptives. Also, "menimists",
this world’s equivalent to feminists, chant “My sperm, my choice,” at protests.
He finds he is now expected to dress and act sexy to get ahead at work while all
of his female coworkers begin to harass him sexually. These are all of the
things he himself did when he was in an authority role in the real world.
Along the way, Damien meets a suffering hobo named “Pigeon Man”, played by
Richard E. Grant, whom most people might recognize from Game of Thrones. Like
Damien, the hobo also comes from the real, masculine run-world, and he offers
him advice and comfort. Grant plays the hobo well, and he is the only
interesting character in the film, but his screen time is very limited. This
would be a far better film if it focused on him or told his story.
The film also co-stars the very talented Rosamund Pike, a superb, sometimes
A-list, Oscar-caliber actress. She gave a memorable performance in An Education
(2009), but her defining role was in
Gone Girl
(2014), where she played a
diabolical femme fatale. The film also features Tom Davis, known for Bleacher in
the 2023 version of Wonka, and the BBC sitcom The King Gary Show. Emily Mortimer
is also in the cast, and she showed genuine acting chops in Lars and the Real
Girl (2002) and The Newsroom (2012-2014). Unfortunately, she, like the rest of
the cast, is mostly wasted here.
In the end, this film is an almost total disaster. It is one of the silliest,
most inept, and least well-thought-out films of the year. It isn't even worth
screening for free, and you should avoid it at all costs.
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