Ladies First, directed by Thea Sharrock, follows chauvinistic ad executive Damien Sachs as he’s thrust into a flipped reality where women dominate politics, business, and office hierarchies. Streaming on Netflix from May 22, 2026, the film blends satire and social commentary, with Rosamund Pike’s Alex Fox rising toward the CEO role Damien once took for granted.
Netflix is betting big on comedy in 2026, and Ladies First is already shaping up to be one of the platform’s most talked-about releases. Led by Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike, the film combines satire, workplace comedy, and social commentary through a gender-reversal premise that has already drawn comparisons to the French film I Am Not an Easy Man.
Imagine Borat learning that his new co-worker is Amy Dunne from Gone Girl. Now take the self-depreciation and murderous plotting down a whole notch and add a little more comedy to it. Et viola! You get Netflix’s latest addition to the endless series of gender-reversed movies list.
Directed by Thea Sharrock, the movie is a remake of the French film I Am Not an Easy Man. Cohen plays Damien Sachs, a chauvinistic advertising firm executive who wakes up in a world where traditional gender-based power structures have completely flipped, forcing his character to experience the same inequality and dismissive treatment that women regularly face.
Ladies First officially begins streaming on Netflix on May 22, 2026, with a simultaneous global rollout adjusted to regional time zones.
In the United States, the movie becomes available at 12:00 AM Pacific Time and 3:00 AM Eastern Time. Viewers in India, on the other hand, received access at 12:30 PM IST on May 22.
Sacha Baron Cohen leads the film as Damien, while Rosamund Pike stars as Alex Fox, an employee brought in by the board for the top brass to look more inclusive. Their dynamic reportedly forms the emotional and comedic core of the movie.
The supporting cast also includes Richard E. Grant, Emily Mortimer, Charles Dance, Fiona Shaw, and Kathryn Hunter in supporting roles.
The story follows Damien, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, who lives comfortably in a male-dominated society and openly benefits from the imbalance around him. After a strange accident leaves him in a coma, he wakes up in a completely altered reality where women occupy nearly every position of social, political, and workplace power.
For example, Alex Fox, Damien’s former employee, is now preparing to become CEO. Felicity, previously the company receptionist, now runs the company as the soon-to-retire CEO, while janitor Glenda turns out to be the owner of the entire business empire.
As Damien tries to understand the new world around him, he learns from a narrator known as Pigeon Man that he has effectively been given a second chance to understand the consequences of his own behaviour and privilege.
The movie has received an R rating for sexual material and strong language. Thea Sharrock directs the film, while Natalie Krinsky, Cinco Paul, and Katie Silberman are credited as writers. The project mixes workplace satire with social commentary, using exaggerated role reversals to examine how gender-based behaviour changes depending on who holds power.