“Ladies First” follows sexist ad exec Damien Sachs, who wakes in a matriarchal parallel world after a head injury. Women rule corporations, men are objectified, and Damien must endure the same discrimination he once dished out. The film uses gender role reversal to push him toward empathy, but ultimately restores his power, undercutting its critique of patriarchy and workplace inequality. Here's why.
Ask Sacha Baron Cohen to make you laugh about something absolutely serious and the man will please you.
The 54-year-old Borat actor in his latest film Ladies First with Rosamund Pike serves us a cheeky comedy where the social order of the world is turned upside down when Damien Sachs ( Baron Cohen) hits his head on a pole only to wake up in a world where women run the world.
Unlike his famous characters Ali G, Aladeen and Borat, Damien and his journey to understanding women seems ossified in convention.
In the beginning of the film, Damien is introduced to the audience as some sort of a boss at Atlas who thinks he has a suave of a character similar to someone like a James Bond but his sexism is the biggest turn off for any women remotely interested in him. And that doesn't shouldn't change by the end of the movie either. But spoiler alert! The man changes his ways and gaze when he appoints Alex Fox (Rosamund Pike) as the new "female" creative director of the company Atlas which is heavily criticised for poor female representation in the industry. So, to safeguard his position and get a better chance at becoming the new CEO of the company, he appoints the first name that is shared by his assistant as the new creative head.
Fox who until that moment is only an ordinary employee working at the company for 20 years is handed the promotion not for her contributions but because she is a woman. But the fever dream crashes when on the first day of the job as the new creative director she overhears Sachs talking about how its only done for the optics.
When Alex calls out his misogyny and quits, Damien cannot even let her leave on her own terms. He follows her outside, desperate to prove that he is still the one in control. Then he runs into a pole and wakes up somewhere else. In a matriarchy where the gender politics are reversed.
Here Harry Potter is Harriet Potter, Don Quixote is Donna Quixote. There are pushup lingerie for men and their sacks at Victor's Secret and men are objectified, sexualised at work place, disrespected and are expected to suit up in colours to appeal to women.
As enjoyable as this reversal is for many viewers, almost a simple way to make men understand the opposite of patriarchy and the privileges that come along with it, Ladies First uses the tried and tested cliched trope of role reversal to make a point that's well established in the first few minutes of the film- the man needs to grow up, respect women and recognise their efforts in the society. He needs to fix his flaws or he'll be stuck in a matriarchy which in his views is nothing less than being in hell.
The course correction happens when he is made to fit someone else's shoes (aka female employees at his workplace). However, in order to leave this world, he must be in control again. His competitiveness to be the next CEO with Pike's character reroutes itself into a romance between Fox and Sachs when he helps her daughter out in a moment of crisis.
In the new world, women hold power, men perform domestic labour and the beauty standards for them are ruthless. Of course, Damien is no longer the office king. He is just another male employee trying to be taken seriously. Felicity who was once his receptionist is the CEO, Alex is respected, and Glenda, who was once the cleaning lady in the real world, is now a top executive.
In his attempts to change as he is told by the Pigeon Man, he improve his appearance, reshape his body, dress better, and make himself desirable to his female superiors. He is even ready to sleep with his boss to climb up that ladder only to realise all other male employee were treated similarly with no real promotions highlighting the corrupted system itself that doesn't really side with one particular gender but the one that is dominant and in power.
The film refrains from saying that matriarchy is good or better than patriarchy or women in a matriarchy would not be flawed. It simply shows the ruthlessness that comes within a system made to exploit those with less power.
When Felicity dies during a strip tease session with Damien, it is now time for him to impress Glenda. Ironically, he uses the same argument as Alex in real world to win him a chance to be considered for the CEO position- the promotion should be based on talent and not gender.
During their journey to help Alex’s daughter with her chipped tooth, Damien starts recognizing his old behaviour in Alex’s complaints. This in turn makes him a little empathetic. As if to understand the other gender you always need to go through the exact same thing to be empathetic!
Damien and Alex sleep together, and the morning after, Alex learns she has been chosen as CEO. Damien is crushed and reacts badly, claiming the system rewarded her unfairly. Again, he sounds exactly like the man he used to be, except now the injury is his. He files a case against Atlas but chooses not to use their consensual night together against Alex which makes her realise he has truly earned the position.
In the real world, when Damien wakes up, he apologies to all the women in the office, heads to Alex's home to apologise to her and make her come back to run as the new creative director at Atlas.
And Alex accepts but with three conditions. First, to get the same salary as the other "male" creative directors, second to take his office as her own and third, she gets to run the campaign since it was her idea in the first place.
By doing so the film tries to tell the audiences how the gender-pay gap, and workplace inequality can be crushed.
In reality, everyday sexism doesn't go away so easily. For a swaggery, cock-weed like Damien who has been sexist for 50 years of his life, spending time some time in upside-down where matriarchy hardly is a change? He still gets to be the CEO of the company whether or not Alex is the creative director or not.
While the pitch starts well in the beginning of the film around the question of "what if", the collapses by the end. It goes back to default gaze where it favours Damien. It fails to pitch a new idea or perspective that has not been explored before making it repetitive and loosing its initial charm.
Ladies First on Netflix starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike is unlike Cohen's other satirical comedies. It fantasises a comedy that is unashamedly silly, un-fun, and reestablishes the tired tropes of men only trying to fix themselves to ultimately get what they want.