Ladies First: Netflix’s Gender-Swap Satire Sparks Mixed Reactions

Netflix released the comedy *Ladies First* on May 22. The film follows chauvinist advertising executive Damien Sachs (Sacha Baron Cohen) who, after a head injury, awakens in a society where women dominate workplaces and men face the sexism he once dispensed. Rosamund Pike plays his former assistant Alex Fox, now the company’s chief executive, and the plot tracks his attempts to adapt to the reversed hierarchy.

‘Ladies First’ Review Roundup: Sacha Baron Cohen’s New Comedy Debuts With Surprising Rotten Tomatoes Score

The film is directed by Thea Sharrock and adapts the 2018 French satire *I Am Not an Easy Man* by Éléonore Pourriat. Its ensemble cast includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Rosamund Pike, Charles Dance, Emily Mortimer, Richard E. Grant, Fiona Shaw and Tom Davis. In an Out magazine interview, Pike said she enjoyed mirroring misogynistic traits and found objectifying male co-stars “one of the most amusing parts of filming.”

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Early critic aggregators gave *Ladies First* a 17 % Rotten Tomatoes score, while audience metrics show a 56 % Popcornmeter rating. The premise—a gender-power reversal triggered by a head injury—has been cited as the primary source of the film’s pre-release buzz.

‘Ladies First’ Review Roundup: Sacha Baron Cohen’s New Comedy Debuts With Surprising Rotten Tomatoes Score

Pike described the role as amusing, noting that portraying a woman who objectifies men let her expose double standards. Sharrock said the film reflects a creative world where women increasingly shape narratives on and off screen. The production team framed the comedy as a catalyst for discussion about workplace sexism and unequal standards.

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Critics uniformly called the satire heavy-handed and repetitive, arguing the film fails to balance comedy with its moral message. *TheWrap*’s William Bibbiani said the balance “is never quite right,” while *The Guardian*’s Benjamin Lee labeled it “un-fun, tiresomely earnest.”

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• “Goes to great lengths to be two different kinds of movies, a light comedy and a harsh morality tale, but the balance is never quite right.” — William Bibbiani, *TheWrap*

‘Ladies First’ Review Roundup: Sacha Baron Cohen’s New Comedy Debuts With Surprising Rotten Tomatoes Score

• “…for a film so unashamedly silly, it’s also incredibly, tiresomely un-fun and, by the end, laughably earnest, as if we should all be learning a very important lesson.” — Benjamin Lee, *The Guardian*

‘Ladies First’ Review Roundup: Sacha Baron Cohen’s New Comedy Debuts With Surprising Rotten Tomatoes Score

• “It makes some valid points, then proceeds to beat them to death.” — Katie Rife, *RogerEbert.com*

‘Ladies First’ Review Roundup: Sacha Baron Cohen’s New Comedy Debuts With Surprising Rotten Tomatoes Score

• “She said objectifying her male co stars became one of the most amusing parts of filming because the story intentionally exaggerates stereotypes to expose how absurd they can appear when reversed.” — Rosamund Pike, Out magazine interview

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The critic aggregate (17 %) contrasts sharply with the audience Popcornmeter rating (56 %). The sources do not provide viewership numbers or demographic breakdowns, leaving the film’s broader impact uncertain.

‘Ladies First’ Review Roundup: Sacha Baron Cohen’s New Comedy Debuts With Surprising Rotten Tomatoes Score

The film continues to stream on Netflix, and its reception may evolve as more viewers watch it in the coming weeks.

‘Ladies First’ Review Roundup: Sacha Baron Cohen’s New Comedy Debuts With Surprising Rotten Tomatoes Score