Office Romance: Movie Review

You can never really go wrong with a Jennifer Lopez rom-com, can you? The Wedding Planner, Maid in Manhattan, Jersey Girl, Monster-in-Law, The Back-Up Plan; she truly is the queen of rom-coms. In this Netflix original movie, she teamed up with Brett Goldstein to tell the story of a forbidden, workplace romance.

Jennifer Lopez plays Jackie Cruz, the CEO and President of the airline company Air Cruz, which was founded by her father. Jackie runs a tight ship and finds herself caught between increasing pressure from the company board and a deep desire for her father’s approval. One of the rules Jackie has enforced within her company is a strict, non-negotiable no-dating policy. Her intense focus on her career has also left her isolated in her personal life, with no time (or desire) for any sort of romantic relationship.

In proper Hollywood rom-com fashion, her peace is disrupted by the arrival of Daniel Blanchflower, a British attorney who the company unexpectedly hires as their new legal counsel. Daniel's first assigned case is a high-stakes litigation case which forces him and Jackie to work closely together. The two of them develop an immediate mutual attraction toward each other.

The case ends up requiring Jackie to fly her private aircraft herself for a deposition trip to the Dominican Republic, which results in her being alone with Daniel for the journey. In the warm, tropical environment, far removed from the strict structure of the corporate office, they both let go of their formal, professional demeanours. Before you know it, they both give in and decide to act on the chemistry between them, which results in the start a passionate romantic relationship.

This movie is formulaic and predictable and exactly what you want it to be. As the saying goes: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. When I sit down to watch a romantic comedy, I want to see all the tropes: the forbidden love, the opposites attract, the character who’s always put their career first and ignored any relationships until the right person came along, the public confession of love in the third act. Office Romance delivers all of the above.

There is something particularly charming and endearing about the British man - American woman pairing that we've seen time and time again, both in film (The Holiday, Notting Hill, Love Actually), and in real life (the internet's favourite couple, Zendaya and Tom Holland). This film not only gives us that dynamic, but also uses it to great comedic and narrative effect, as it's revealed that Jackie has an intense passion and appreciation for all things British.

Our two lead actors have excellent chemistry, which makes their love story feel both believable and genuine. For anyone familiar with the popular TV series Ted Lasso, it's nice to see Brett Goldstein step into the role of a romantic lead in a major Hollywood Netflix production, going toe-to-toe with the Jennifer Lopez. Interestingly enough, it was actually Brett Goldstein who came up with the original idea for the film and developed it specifically with Jennifer Lopez in mind. He first sent the project to her in 2023, but due to scheduling conflicts, she had to turn it down. Luckily for us, she eventually came around after Goldstein insisted that he didn't want to make the movie with anyone else in the role.

Wholesome, heartfelt, and feel-good. That's how I would describe this movie. There has perhaps never been a better time for stories about love, so if you haven't seen it, make sure to add it to your Netflix watchlist and give it a watch sooner rather than later.