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Ladies First

Play trailer 2:25 Poster for Ladies First R 2026 1h 33m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
26% Tomatometer 38 Reviews 65% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Damien Sachs (Sacha Baron Cohen) seemingly has it all: money, power, and a never ending stream of casual flings. As he prepares to ascend to the role of CEO at a leading advertising agency, his life is turned upside down when he wakes up in his worst nightmare: a parallel world dominated by women. Where he once ruled the boardroom, he now finds himself humbled and going head-to-head with the newly fierce and fearless Alex Fox (Rosamund Pike). With the rules of engagement changed and Alex at the top of her game, the two boldly battle it out in a playful and satirical comedy about what happens when the script is flipped.

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Ladies First

Critics Reviews

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John Anderson Wall Street Journal 21h
The destination of “Ladies First” might as well be on tracks. But Ms. Pike is terrific, as are Ms. Shaw, Mr. Dance and Mr. Baron Cohen, an agile comedian in a production that isn’t particularly taxing. Go to Full Review
Amber Dowling Globe and Mail 3d
Director Thea Sharrock presents a somewhat predictable but entirely cathartic take on what it really would look like if women ran the world, and it is fine companion viewing for Eléonore Pourriat’s French film I Am Not an Easy Man, on which it’s based. Go to Full Review
Kevin Maher The Times (UK) 3d
2/5
The gender politics, much like the French original, are bonkers and alarmingly retro. Go to Full Review
Matt Pais MattPais.com 1d
D
The most controversial movie of 1981. Go to Full Review
Rob Thomas Not That Rob Thomas (Substack) 1d
1.5/4
The movie’s broad stereotypes and rudimentary gender satire might have played better in a broad French farce. Go to Full Review
Connor Petrey Pop Culture Leftovers 1d
From obvious misogynistic jokes, sex humor, and oddly weird leaps in judgment, Ladies First makes for a film with more awkward silences than laughs. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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hazari S @RT63303470 3h Ladies First — Is women being on top/incharge/first - abnormal or ridiculous?? The film follows a protagonist who wakes up in a world where women are on top. The setup is framed as if women in power is wrong; Abnormal; Something that needs fixing. The reversed world is shallow. How people work, live, relate to each other — none of that explored. Everything exaggerated to look ridiculous. The film does not realize that it shows Male dominance as the default and everything else as a glitch By the end, we're back to normal. The protagonist actively works to restore that normal. The system isn't questioned. It is protected. His arc is about restoring comfort. The comfort of a world where men are on top. The film thinks it's making a point about equality but it's defending the very system it pretends to challenge. Jamba Lakidi Pamba (1992) — a Telugu film — also resets to normal. But it starts from genuine frustration with male domination and treats the reversal with more honesty. See more Gaynell E @RT10269155 5h "LOVE IT!! It's a refreshing comedy, especially since so few comedies are being made nowadays." See more ARNEZ C. @Arny6tearz 11h Such a different pace where women rule the world quite a delight things like Victor's secret, Burger Queen ,new Year new butt ,is it that time of the again ,I just couldn't stop laughing I'd like to see more things like this It's just brilliant See more Rosie T @RT24154159 11h Men saying this is out of date need to take a look at themselves. I found it unsurprisingly accurate, and there were plenty of laugh out loud moments calling out the ridiculous reality women have to live in every day. Great cast, clear message. It’s not Barbie which celebrates femininity as it currently stands, BUT it’s not trying to be. I’ll be making some changes off the back of it, and, if you’re a man posting a 1 star review, I suggest you do too. See more Vanessa G @RT93947215 12h This is a fun romp with great actors. It gives a look at our world if men and women switched places. It isn’t about equality or what it would look like if women ran all higher positions. It is about pointing out how ridiculous so many things are if we treated men the way large parts of society treat women. I’m not sure if most men are strong enough to watch it 😉 See more Grant H @RT95929188 12h What a ham-fisted, muddled approach! It is well-intentioned but portraying women in power behaving like men wastes so many opportunities. It’s a single punch line that should have been so much better with a more creative mindset. See more Read all reviews
Ladies First

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Movie Info

Synopsis Damien Sachs (Sacha Baron Cohen) seemingly has it all: money, power, and a never ending stream of casual flings. As he prepares to ascend to the role of CEO at a leading advertising agency, his life is turned upside down when he wakes up in his worst nightmare: a parallel world dominated by women. Where he once ruled the boardroom, he now finds himself humbled and going head-to-head with the newly fierce and fearless Alex Fox (Rosamund Pike). With the rules of engagement changed and Alex at the top of her game, the two boldly battle it out in a playful and satirical comedy about what happens when the script is flipped.
Director
Thea Sharrock
Producer
Liza Chasin, Eleonore Dailly, Edouard de Lachomette
Screenwriter
Natalie Krinsky, Cinco Paul, Katie Silberman
Distributor
Netflix
Production Co
3dot productions
Rating
R (Sexual Material and Language)
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
May 22, 2026
Runtime
1h 33m