When Jennifer Lopez does a rom-com, I watch – it’s really that simple. I was already planning to watch Office Romance even before the press tour, and then the press tour made me want to watch it even more. Brett Goldstein’s fondness for J.Lo is no secret; the man knows all her movies, wrote the screenplay with her in mind, and didn’t move ahead with the movie until she could do it. This pairing is the stuff of rom-com dreams: the writer and his muse.
Office Romance has a lot of good things going for it, and that’s high praise considering the quality of most Netflix rom-coms. Goldstein plays Daniel, a British lawyer working for Air Cruz. He’s second-in-command to Peter Vance (Bradley Whitford, who is hilarious even with 10 minutes of screentime), so when Vance is hospitalised after choking on a sausage, Daniel has to cover for him, which includes taking charge of a deposition for Lopez’s Jackie Cruz. He ends up impressing her with his work ethic, which is great news for him because he’s very attracted to her.
This is not the usual J.Lo rom-com spiel – she’s mostly plays the underdog character with aspirations. I do think she does better when she’s playing roles that aren’t as close to her own glamourous persona (Marry Me suffers from the same issue), but it’s still a joy to watch J.Lo do her thing. She’s amazingly effervescent in all the romantic scenes with Goldstein. The script is on the raunchier side, with frequent innuendos exchanged between the pair – either on purpose or unintentional – which makes things really fun. Lopez and Goldstein are equal doses sweet and sexy together, and I found myself smiling at all their little moments.
I also like that the movie takes the time to follow these characters with tracking shots – up and down the stairs, through the long corridors into different offices. These shots really help to establish a sense of place, which is important to do even when it’s streaming fare. The office workers are all familiar faces and while they’re all minor roles, the cast is well-utilised and feel like real people instead of props. Even Marcus (Malik Elassal) the mailroom guy is given focus, and I appreciate that the film took the time to do that. Betty Gilpin delivers a scene-stealing performance as Sydney Bloom. Sydney is heavily pregnant, yet insists on working until she pops. Gilpin’s comedic timing is impeccable – her Bond villain impression made me howl with laughter – and she immediately clocks something between the pair, proceeding to regard them with suspicion at every turn.
The obstacle for our love-struck pair is the company’s zero tolerance policy when it comes to office romances. Moreover, as the lawsuit they’re dealing with accuses Jackie of inappropriate conduct to secure airport gates, things would be bad for her if their dalliance were ever discovered. This is my main issue with Office Romance, because I feel like it writes itself into a corner with this obstacle. Obviously their romance is going to be found out, and it would make her look bad once revealed. I don’t believe any company board would risk keeping the CEO on after a revelation like that. Yes they are both single, but she’s still his boss and he her subordinate. The script has wacky elements, like Daniel’s sister being an axe murderer for some bizarre reason, so I knew it would attempt to just wave the obstacle away with no repercussions.
Look, I know it’s a rom-com. It’s meant to be escapist, fun, and not taken too seriously. But when the movie itself stresses the serious implications of said obstacle, it can’t backtrack and suddenly say “Oh wait a minute, no one cares if we declare our love publicly”. Revealing their romance would not make the lawsuit go away, if anything there’s even more grounds to suggest inappropriate behaviour on the part of the CEO. And the board member who was fighting so hard for Jackie to be replaced in the earlier board meeting is suddenly as quiet as a mouse when all her dirty laundry is being aired. Overcoming the obstacle has to feel earned and not convenient.
The romance needed more balance as well. Daniel ardently admires and supports Jackie, but we don’t see what he gets from the relationship besides being with this amazingly hot woman. At times, he’s almost reverent of her, like he can’t believe he gets to be near her. There’s this scene when the pair are on the beach and Jackie’s tying on her bikini bottom and she makes a quip about there being so much sand on her butt. This leads viewers to expect some physicality; after all they’ve been physically intimate and are in a relationship. All Daniel does is call her a weirdo in response, which then leads to this feeling of how choreographed the intimacy is between them. Obviously this is a movie and they are actors, of course these scenes are choreographed. But the movie must trick us into never realising that. The romance has to look spontaneous and organic, even when we know it’s not. The script shouldn’t introduce a playful moment like that if it isn’t going to capitalise on it in a meaningful way.
Lopez and Goldstein’s megawatt chemistry makes me lament the weak spots in the script. There’s not enough here to best J.Lo’s iconic rom-coms – The Wedding Planner and Maid in Manhattan are still my top choices – but it’s a pretty decent watch for a weekend date night.
REVIEW SCORE: 3/5
