The ol’ switcheroo is a common movie trope. We’ve seen plenty of body switch/gender switch/universe switch films. This is nothing new. Except that it kinda is this time around, for Ladies First feels like a societal uprising much more than a personal Scrooge revelation. And it’s a shame that this poignant comedy is going to be ignored by pretty much everyone.
Damian Sachs (Sacha Baron Cohen) is an asshole. Oh, but he’s not just an everyday asshole. He’s one of these assholes who is born and bred to treat women like sexual playthings and little else. His patter is smoooooooooth; he realizes that being a chauvinist in the bedroom is not a winning strategy, so while alone and in in flirt mode, Damian is the very model of attentive and thoughtful. However, as soon as a woman has an opinion about something other than attraction, his demeanor is dismissive and cruel. It’s quite a show.
Almost fired for not valuing women in his ad agency, Damian promotes a rando on the spot. The rando turns out to be Alex Fox (Rosamund Pike), She may or may not be the best person for the job; that’s the only part I really dislike about the film. Damian doesn’t care; he just hopped on the first name presented to him. Challenged with promoting Guiness Beer to woman, Alex is invited into the conference room with the boys. As the only woman, Alex finds her thoughts so thoroughly ignored that she quits. That is a serious, serious, serious level of ignore.
And then plot happens: Damian bonks his head and wakes up in an alternate universe. Said universe isn’t just reorganized so that the ad agency is woman-heavy; the entire world is structured about women. Every man dresses like he’s on an episode of “Queer Eye.” All professional sports are played by women; men are reduced to cheerleading and eye-candy on billboards. Men are invited for “late night business meetings” with unscrupulous bosses where “meeting” means “sex.” Hey, fellas, ye reap what ye sow. For me, it’s not even that the universes have switched; it’s that the outlooks have switched as well. Yes, there is a fair amount of exaggeration here, but it’s funny to see a world in which grooming isn’t optional for men, or merely wearing a suit puts you in the “half-assed” category. We even have a man being greeted by his sister unleashing a galumphing fart and then cackling uncontrollably. It’s clear the writers understood the assignment.
Imagine this scene: an office full of fearful men -dressed entirely for the amusement of their bosses- huddling together in private whispered solidarity to protect their own. This isn’t just a fantasy; this is an objective
look at the differences in gender politics. I found moments like these not only hilarious, but insightful and refreshing.
And the idea behind this set-up is clear: what if the man who controls lives of the females in his world not only has the tables turned, but has to negotiate a world in which his opinion is no longer valued? What does he do? Is he talented enough to find his way back? And how does he -or any man for that matter- feel about their own superimposed glass ceiling.
Like all switcheroo films, Ladies First is essentially a new take on A Christmas Carol. At heart, this film is about soul and redemption. As a feminist film, however, Ladies First is sharp and accusatory. It pulls no punches while making Damian struggle to reclaim his life. And, as is, I found it the best feminist fantasy I’ve seen since Barbie.
There once was a mogul named Sachs
Empathy was among his great lacks
Suddenly thrust
In a world he can’t trust
He discovered soon who has your backs
Rated R, 90 Minutes
Director: Thea Sharrock
Writer: Natalie Krinsky, Cinco Paul, Katie Silberman
Genre: The Ol’ Switcheroo
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Modern feminists
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: People who define themselves as Alpha Males
