Office Romance, 2026.
Directed by Ol Parker.
Starring Jennifer Lopez, Brett Goldstein, Betty Gilpin, Bradley Whitford, Amy Sedaris, Edward James Olmos, Tony Hale, Jodie Whittaker, Mary Wiseman, Tony Plana, Roger Bart, Jackie Sandler, Donald Elise Watkins, Natalie Ortega, Brian Gallivan, Ali Stroker, Michelle Hurd, Scott Seiss, Lisa Gilroy, Rick Hoffman, Will Sasso, and Mo Welch.
SYNOPSIS:
Jackie, President and CEO of Air Cruz, runs a tight ship in her business, including a rigid anti-fraternization policy for all her employees. When a new sexy lawyer begins working for her, that policy becomes very tested.
Given that Jennifer Lopez’s successful airline CEO Jackie Cruz is so busy trying to appease a male-dominated board looking for any opportunity to oust her, alongside AirCruz Founder, her father Captain Jack (Edward James Olmos), who occasionally joins in on the condescension, director Ol Parker’s Office Romance has in it a premise that instantly gets one on her side. The fact that the film (written by co-stars Brett Goldstein and Joe Kelly) also makes a point of being funny while offering something to say about workplace romances elevates what is otherwise fairly clichéd rom-com material.
Granted that there are legitimate reasons why such office romances are generally considered a no-go in day-to-day life, and that Jackie herself enforces such policies (alongside an HR department led by Tony Hale in a slight but amusing role), the sheer dedication to professional life isn’t making much room for personal life here. That means when a hilarious food-choking accident takes out trusted company lawyer Peter Vance (Bradley Whitford, hysterical as he plays the character with exaggerated aggression and buffoonery) creating an opportunity for Brett Goldstein’s politely charming Daniel Blanchflower to step in as the attorney on a crucial deposition, remain on board, and gradually enter into something romantic with Jackie founded on mutual respect and, of course, two hot people attracted to one another, there is an organic instinct to root for them.
The film is also rounded out with a funny and game supporting cast, all of whom also play into the connective thread of balancing professional and personal lives within the workspace, with a highlight being Betty Gilpin’s about-to-pop pregnant assistant Sydney Bloom, who essentially becomes jealous that Jackie starts making time to go see Daniel during office hours, not to mention spending time together on a business trip to the Dominican Republic. Even if not every joke lands in the buildup to their gravitation toward one another (a gag where Daniel gets an erection during his first interaction with Jackie feels uninspired and lazy), the filmmakers do take their time with that aspect so that the inevitable intimacy feels steamy and passionate.
There is also one subplot related to Daniel that possibly sounded better on paper, but doesn’t fully work here as a plot mechanism to keep him from giving in to the titular office romance. The gist is that he has a sister in prison (Jodie Whittaker) locked up for a fairly violent crime that the film mostly treats like a joke, with no real introspection or insight into her character other than that these two are siblings and Daniel wants to do everything he can to make sure he can get her an early parole. Sleeping with a CEO would theoretically jeopardize that if they were caught. It’s a situation that also provides room for the classic trope of one character getting worried that the other is doing something shady by not bringing it up to them and sneaking around.
Of course, because we live in a sexist society, the fallout and consequences would be drastically worse if anyone on the board found out that Jackie is having a relationship with one of her employees. Even if it’s somewhat obvious and predictable that there will be some type of happy ending to this romantic comedy, that situation elicits impending outrage while waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting to once again stay on Jackie’s side when it’s time to defend herself from all angles.
It is also to Office Romance‘s benefit that the performances from Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein are undeniably winning, with tension and more than enough chemistry to make us hope they overcome this workplace taboo and find a way to be together. There is also much to chew on in that this would likely be considered a nonissue if it was a male CEO discovered of having the same type of relationship (sure, there might be a punishment and their reputation would be tarnished, but they would certainly overcome it and work again in a high-ranking position compared to a woman who would be almost guaranteed to never be that high on the corporate ladder again). Alas, the film isn’t that deep, but it is probably for the best that it never becomes that serious, sticking to doing everything right that a romantic comedy should do
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder
