Netflix’s No. 1 Movie Ladies First Is Dividing Viewers — Some Call It ‘Unwatchable,’ Others Say It’s Their New Favorite

Netflix has a new No. 1 movie in the UK, but being the most-watched film on the platform has done little to settle the debate surrounding it.

Ladies First, the new comedy starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike, has surged past true-crime documentary The Crash to take the top spot among UK Netflix subscribers.

That kind of chart success would normally suggest an easy crowd-pleaser.

Instead, the movie has become one of the platform’s more polarizing recent releases.

Critics have largely rejected it, viewers are arguing over whether it is hilarious or almost impossible to sit through, and its Rotten Tomatoes score currently stands at just 18%. Yet people keep watching.

Ladies First Overtakes The Crash on Netflix

Before Ladies First arrived, The Crash had spent weeks holding onto Netflix’s No. 1 position in the UK.

The true-crime documentary examines the case of Mackenzie Shirilla and had attracted significant attention since its release.

But after Ladies First landed on Netflix at the end of May, the comedy quickly climbed the rankings and displaced it.

At the time reported, Ladies First had become the most-watched movie among Netflix subscribers in the UK.

That makes the response especially interesting. The movie is clearly attracting an audience.

Whether that audience actually likes what it is seeing is another matter.

The Movie Is a Remake of a French Netflix Comedy

Ladies First is an English-language remake of the 2018 French romantic comedy Je ne suis pas un homme facile, released internationally as I Am Not an Easy Man.

The original film was written and directed by Éléonore Pourriat and remains available on Netflix.

For the remake, directing duties went to Thea Sharrock.

Sharrock has worked across film and television, including episodes of Call the Midwife and the feature film Wicked Little Letters.

The basic premise remains centered on reversing traditional gender power structures.

But this time the story is built around Sacha Baron Cohen’s Damien Sachs.

Sacha Baron Cohen Plays a Man Who Thinks He Has Everything

Damien appears to have built exactly the life he wants. He has money. Influence. Professional power.

And an apparently endless series of casual relationships. He is also preparing to take over as CEO of a major advertising agency.

Then everything changes. Damien wakes up in a parallel world where women occupy the dominant social and professional roles.

The rules he has relied on suddenly work against him. The man who was previously confident in the boardroom finds himself forced to navigate a world in which his status has been dramatically reduced.

Rosamund Pike’s Alex Fox Becomes the One With the Power

Rosamund Pike stars opposite Baron Cohen as Alex Fox. In Damien’s altered reality, Alex is no longer operating within the power structure he understands.

She is the person in control. That reversal becomes the foundation of the movie’s satire.

Damien and Alex clash professionally and personally as he struggles to understand the world around him.

The film uses their rivalry to explore gender expectations by reversing familiar situations and stereotypes.

In theory, it is a premise with plenty of comic potential. Critics, however, have been far less convinced by the execution.

Rotten Tomatoes Gives It Just 18%

Despite its Netflix success, Ladies First has received a brutal critical response. The film currently holds an 18% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Several reviews have argued that the central concept is not strong enough to sustain an entire feature film.

One critic described the movie as essentially a comedy-sketch idea stretched far beyond its natural length, arguing that the filmmakers concentrated too heavily on gender-reversal jokes instead of developing a coherent story.

Another dismissed the movie as a dated comedy about a misogynist being forced to confront his behavior.

Those reviews point toward the main criticism surrounding the film. The premise is easy to understand.

But some critics believe the satire feels much less fresh than the filmmakers appear to think it is.

Comparisons to What Women Want Have Not Helped

Some reviewers have compared Ladies First with gender-focused comedies from previous decades, particularly What Women Want. The comparison is not always meant as a compliment.

For critics who dislike Ladies First, the film feels closer to a late-1990s or early-2000s concept comedy than a particularly sharp modern satire.

That perception has contributed to complaints that the humor feels dated despite the contemporary cast and production. Yet intriguingly, some viewers are responding to precisely that old-fashioned quality in a completely different way.

Some Viewers Say It Is ‘Absolute Trash’

Audience reaction online has been almost as divided as the critical response. One viewer dismissed the film simply as “absolute trash.”

Another wondered whether it might be one of the worst productions to emerge from Netflix and the UK, arguing that a promising idea and impressive British cast had somehow been turned into something “unwatchable.”

Those reactions suggest that the opening section may be a particular problem. Even some viewers who eventually enjoyed the movie admitted that the first portion was difficult to get through.

One Fan Says the First 30 Minutes Are ‘Excruciating’

Not every negative reaction remained negative. One viewer admitted that the first half hour was “pretty excruciating” but said the film improved dramatically afterward.

According to that response, viewers who stick with the movie are rewarded with increasingly funny sequences, genuine laugh-out-loud moments and unexpected comedic twists.

That may help explain some of the wildly different reactions. People abandoning Ladies First early could come away with a very different impression from those who watch until the second half.

It also creates an unusual recommendation. The argument in favor of the film is not necessarily that it starts well. It is that some viewers believe it eventually becomes much better.

Other Viewers Think Netflix Has a Future Rom-Com Favorite

At the opposite end of the debate, some fans have responded enthusiastically. One viewer compared the film’s spirit with Bend It Like Beckham and late-1990s romantic comedies.

They praised it as funny, charming and unexpectedly heartfelt, while arguing that there is more underneath the humor than the critical response suggests.

That viewer even predicted that the movie could stand the test of time. It is a striking contrast with people calling the same film unwatchable. Few releases produce such dramatically opposing reactions.

The Cast Makes the Poor Reviews Even More Surprising

Part of the curiosity surrounding Ladies First comes from its cast.

Sacha Baron Cohen has built his career around provocative comedy and satire.

Rosamund Pike has moved comfortably between dark drama, thrillers and comedy.

The film also features Emily Mortimer and Weruche Opia. On paper, that gives the movie considerably more acting firepower than the average streaming romantic comedy.

For critics who disliked it, that talent makes the finished result even more frustrating. For fans, however, the cast appears to be one of the reasons the film eventually works.

Its Success Shows the Gap Between Reviews and Viewing Habits

The biggest story surrounding Ladies First may ultimately have little to do with whether the movie is objectively good or bad.

Its performance demonstrates how little critical consensus can matter when audiences are curious enough. An 18% Rotten Tomatoes score has not prevented the movie from becoming No. 1 on Netflix in the UK.

Negative social-media reactions have not stopped subscribers from pressing play. If anything, the disagreement may be helping.

When one person calls a movie “absolute trash” and another calls it a future favorite, curiosity becomes part of the marketing. Viewers want to know which side they will land on.

Why People May Be Watching Despite the Reviews

Several factors are working in the movie’s favor. The premise can be explained in seconds.

The cast is recognizable. The gender-role reversal naturally invites discussion. And the romantic-comedy structure makes it an easy, low-commitment Netflix choice.

It also benefits from controversy. A movie everyone agrees is mediocre can disappear quickly.

A movie people passionately disagree about tends to stay in conversation longer. Ladies First appears to be experiencing exactly that effect.

The Original Film Offers an Interesting Comparison

Because the 2018 French version is also available on Netflix, viewers have the unusual opportunity to compare both approaches directly.

I Am Not an Easy Man uses the same fundamental concept: a man accustomed to benefiting from traditional gender expectations suddenly finds himself living in a society where those expectations have been reversed.

The English-language remake reworks that setup for a new cast and audience. For viewers dissatisfied with the remake, the original may offer another way into the concept.

For those who enjoy Ladies First, it provides an obvious follow-up watch.

The Movie’s Biggest Challenge Is Its Satire

Gender-reversal comedy is difficult to execute because the joke can become predictable very quickly.

Once the audience understands the central device, each new situation risks repeating the same basic idea.

That appears to be one of the main complaints from critics. The strongest versions of this kind of satire use the reversal to reveal something unexpected about the characters or society.

The weakest simply invert stereotypes and wait for the audience to laugh at the difference.

The debate over Ladies First largely comes down to which of those categories viewers believe it belongs in.

The First Half May Be the Real Test

Interestingly, even positive reactions frequently acknowledge that the movie takes time to find its rhythm.

That could explain why some viewers describe it as unbearable while others become increasingly enthusiastic.

If the opening jokes do not land, the film may feel like a long series of obvious observations.

But viewers who connect with the characters later in the story may find the emotional and romantic elements make the satire easier to enjoy.

In other words, Ladies First may be one of those films where the final opinion depends heavily on whether viewers are willing to give it time.

Netflix Has Another Love-It-or-Hate-It Hit

Streaming charts frequently reward films critics dislike. What makes Ladies First more interesting is just how extreme the divide has become.

An 18% critical score would normally suggest a film destined to disappear. Instead, it has overtaken one of Netflix UK’s biggest recent documentaries.

Some viewers cannot understand why anyone is watching. Others are recommending it enthusiastically.

And both groups are continuing to talk about it. That is not necessarily artistic consensus. But it is certainly engagement.

Is Ladies First Actually Worth Watching?

The safest conclusion is probably that the movie’s reputation tells you very little about whether you personally will enjoy it.

If you dislike broad gender-role satire or comedies built around one high-concept premise, the negative reviews may prove accurate for you.

If you miss glossy late-1990s romantic comedies and enjoy Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike, the positive reactions may make more sense.

The only point almost everyone seems to agree on is that the film inspires a reaction. Indifference is not the problem.

From 18% to No. 1

That contradiction is ultimately what makes Ladies First one of Netflix’s more curious recent success stories.

Critics have largely rejected it. Some viewers call it “absolute trash.”

Others describe it as funny, charming and surprisingly heartfelt. Yet while everyone argues, the movie has climbed past The Crash and taken Netflix UK’s No. 1 spot. For a film accused of being unwatchable, an enormous number of people appear determined to watch it anyway.

Ladies First is streaming on Netflix now.