Office Romance

Sweary, a bit lairy, occasionally teary, this isn’t the romcom of anyone’s dreams. But for a fun and frivolous evening on the sofa, Office Romance’s charms are undeniable.

It sinks into its star power as one would into a warm bath, and if the appealingly scrappy Goldstein doesn’t match that voltage, that’s largely the point.

The filmmakers, and co-writer, producer, and star Brett Goldstein in particular, clearly have a sense of what it is that makes studio rom-coms so appealing, and they've built this one to actually deliver on it. It's a little shaggy, perhaps, and I inevitably found myself missing the shot-on-film glow that did so much for the movies of that bygone era. But I can't really complain. My default state watching Office Romance was a giddy smile.

Perhaps it was too much to hope that we’d have a little bit of food for thought as well as the eye candy on display, but this will still wile away a dull evening very pleasantly.

Writers Goldstein and Joe Kelly (his “Ted Lasso”/”Shrinking” colleague) attempt to cram a streaming season’s worth of character zigs — Jodie Whittaker plays Daniel’s incarcerated sister, Amy Sedaris appears as a too-kind hotel housekeeper — into a two-hour film. Alas, the landing isn’t smooth.

Hammer another nail in the romcom coffin as Brett Goldstein adds a touch of Roy Kent macho to a straight-to-Netflix Jennifer Lopez romcom that can’t handle the heat. A fresh idea here would die of loneliness.

In every category, this fails to come up with anything witty or imaginative.

After several impressive comic and dramatic performances, including “Ted Lasso” and “Shrinking,” Brett Goldstein confidently steps into this first leading man role. He proves his comic charms as a writer and actor. Jennifer Lopez plays the CEO of an airline, which has the usual anti-fraternization policy. Goldstein is one of her staff lawyers, who puts that rule to the test. Although this story runs thru the expected formula, several things set this film apart. In addition to Goldstein’s appealing performance, this may be the best thing Lopez has done and the rest of the ensemble is often fun. Tony Hale’s HR rep is the hilarious highlight (stick thru the credits for his funniest scene). There are unexpected broad moments accompanied by genuinely smart writing. Director Ol Parker, whose last film was “Ticket to Paradise”, has again nailed the comic rhythm, including several laugh-out-loud moments. The film isn’t breaking any new ground, but it adds a new winner to this genre that proves genuinely appealing and often funny. NOTE: Tony Hale returns for one of the film’s funniest moments during the closing credits (with another post-credit punchline.)

For these romance movies to work you need to leads to connect. They did in this instance. However, the movie raises all kinds of situations with all kinds of people that aren't even attempted to be resolved. There were some good scenes and it had some humor. I wonder why it's the Brit and the American but it works and this isn't required to be explained to enjoy the movie. I had to knock the move down for the incredibly WOKE scene after the credits started; that scene was offensive and completely unnecessary. Our view is: "go ahead and watch this fluff movie with many loose-ends but turn it off when the credits start."

Office Romance spends much of its runtime trying to prove that it’s different from other corporate rom-coms, but ends up reminding us exactly why they tend to be so **** office setting does suggest some interesting conflicts, especially when it involves power dynamics and professional ethics, but the film seems to constantly shy away from any subject that requires further development. Everything becomes merely a backdrop for a story that never decides whether it wants to be a drier British comedy or a traditional American rom-com.Still, Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein manage to make the experience minimally enjoyable. There’s chemistry, charisma, and a genuine desire to make the romance work, even when the script seems uninterested in doing **** the end, it’s that typical Netflix catalog movie: easy to watch, easy to forget, and sustained almost exclusively by the charm of those on screen.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Brutal One of the worst movies I've ever seen Th erection scene, the birthing scene......absolutely no value.