Critiquing the plot and character development

Romantic comedies often live and die by the charisma of their leads. The new Netflix film office romance pairs romcom veteran Jennifer Lopez with relative new bie, Brett Goldstein in a story about the hazards of falling for your boss. The movie is jam packed with MVPs in the supporting cast and it's a little raunchier than your average film of its kind, and we're going to get into whether it works, how it fits into JLO's romcom history , and what, if anything , it's trying to say about relationships at work. I'm Linda Holmes, joining me on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour. Today is my co host Ayisha Harris. Hello, Aisha. Hello, Linda. Also with us is the host of NPR's It's been a minute Brittany Loose, Hello, Brittany. Hello . It is so good to see you both. Office romance stars, Jennifer Lope z as Jackie Cruz, the CEO of an airline. When the company gets embroiled in a lawsuit, she meets Daniel, a lawyer who's just joined the airline. They have instant chemistry, but because she's the CEO and the company has a zero tolerance policy for office relationships. They both try to put it aside, but naturally, not for long, and romantic comedy complications follow. The film was directed by Ole Parker, who previously directed both Mama Mia, here we go again and the similarly old school romcom ticket to Paradise, which I will point out all three of us discussed together on this show really in twenty twenty two , yes. Yes. Oh, I completely forgot. I mean, I remember the movie. I love it. This is the Ol Parker gang back together again. Back together. Office romance was written by Goldstein and Joe Kelly, one of the writers he worked with on Ted Lasso and it is streaming now on Netflix, Brittany, I'm going to start with you as a veteran of watching, as I understand it, many JLO ROM coms and many other romcoms. How did you feel about office romance ? I enjoyed office romance. I mean, I'll say this . I think that if you are for like I recently rewatched something's got to give, if you're looking for something on that level, when Harry met Sally , looks some play styles. You should probably go seek out those films. Okay, but Jennifer Lopez Romcom with Brett Coldstein, which is there's just enough intrigue there and the difference kind of in their personas . Also the fact that this film is born of his like, I think obsession with Jennifer Lopez and her Romcom Ovra. Listen, I got my money's worth. Jennifer Lopez, Brett Goldstein, I had a blast . Were there some moments where I was like, what the heck is going on? Absolutely . Is there a medical procedure that happens on screen that completely caught me off guard? Yes . Absolutely . Did it remind me of the baby from Allie McBeal that was dancing around? Yes, it did. However, I'm sorry. I was charmed by this. I had a blast. I really enjoyed myself. I was telling y'all before we started recording , that I kind of judge a lot of JL's sort of like modern day romcoms by like how do they compare to second act a movie from twenty eighteen? That's like the median and there's like, is it in the top half or yeah? That felt like to me like something that kind of marked the sort of like second half of her Romcom career where she was kind of doing maybe these movies that were not quite as big as the ones in from her past, like from her I think what some people might call Jaylo's Golden Era . And so I kind of I'm like, is this better or worse than Second Act? A movie that I also admittedly kind of enjoyed for what it was. And I feel like this was a bit better. So I'm overall thumbs up on office romance. Brittany is overall thumbs up. Ayisha, how about you? How'd you feel about office romance? Oh , I don't know, man. This is kind of hard for me to watch. And I don't think I've seen every single JL Rom comp, but I've seen the big kits. I've seen the Maid in Manhattan, I've seen the wedding planner, I've seen Second Act, I've seen her more recent stuff. And I have to say, it made me realize why I don't find myself returning to JL's romcoms in the way that I do to her other performances in other movies , which is that look, she is a very beautiful , sexy woman. That is undeniable. She looks fantastic. I get why anyone would be attracted to her . In terms of her ability to actually move beyond that with any sort of romantic co star , on screen , or arguably off screen too , I don't think she has it. I don't think she has chemistry with the men that she is up against with the sole exception of out of sight. Like look, her and George Clooney, the heat, it's there. That's also probably the best script she's ever worked with . And so you have that. And then you have JLO and George Clooney stuck in a car truck . Like that is hot. Yes. But every other time I've seen her, especially in a rom com form, it's just not there. And she can be a very dynamic performer. Hustlers, she's great, but that's not a ROM comp, right ? Like she is in her element there. I don't see any chemistry here with Brett Goldstein. Like they're attracted to each other. That's kind of the whole thing. It's like, oh, we are attracted to each other, but it's forbidd en. It's an office, you're my boss, whatever. But that just feels more a function of the story and the story that they are trying to tell as opposed to any actual anything generating between the two of them on screen. And so because of that and because of a lot of other things that maybe we'll get into in terms of just like how the story doesn't actually make a lot of sense. And look, in a Romcom, the story doesn't necessarily have to make sense, but if there's also no chemistry with the two lead s, then I'm gonna start thinking about everything else that doesn't make sense. So I found this difficult to watch, and it just proved to me that JLO is very hot, but not necessarily a good romantic performer. And yeah, that's my story and I've sticked into it. I get that. And you know, because I revisited our conversation about Ticket to Paradise this morning , it was interesting to me that one of the things we talked about in that film is that movie is George Clumi and Julia Roberts playing the parents of Caitlin Deaver and the two of them have been divorced for a long time, but they're still, you know, they eventually are going to blah blah blah get back together and they go to kind of interrupt Calein Deever's wedding. Despite the chemistry between the two of them, which they absolutely have , one of the things that we talked about was that these relationships weren't built out enough to make them feel compelling. And I think that this movie has the same problem . What they're trying to do and I do respect this. This movie is absolutely intended to respect the roles of lust and sex in romance more than some movies do, right ? There are a lot of romcoms that are very chaste. You're going all the way through and kissing at the end. They're not going for that. They're trying to acknowledge that people being physically attracted to each other is a big part of what happens sometimes at the beginning of becoming involved with someone . And as part of that, you know, Ayisha mentioned this kind of Jennifer Lopez is very beautiful. She looks awesome. She's super hot. And they try, I think, to work around that by having him sort of at the moment that he meets her, you know, there's this thing where he's sort of like gobsmacked and says you're glowing and he kind of is stammering over his words and so forth. Ms. Cruz, I can assure you I am quite capable and happy to help with whatever you may need help with shoes or law probably more law based help, I imagine you need actually from me . And it's supposed to kind of get that out of the way by acknowledging that if Jay Lo was the CEO of your company then the first time you met her, you'd be like what, right? And I think they're trying to kind of deal with the over the topiness of her sexiness . But I think in a weird way it throws the movie off a little bit. I also think as it goes on, it's just never clear to me how they get to like each other. It's clear to me how they get to be hot for each other . And I think I probably sabotaged myself with this movie because of the expectations that I had , I have found Brett Goldstein to be a writer with a very high emotional IQ based on the work that he did on Ted Lasso, but especially on shrinking. Yeah . And I think I expected a little more of that like deeply human stuff that he has brought to some of his other writings since he was the co writer of this . And I didn't really find it. I gotta say also , I appreciate a stacked supporting cast, but like there's a lot of people in here where I'm like, Why is this one Betty Gil pin is doing? Are you two in love with each other? What? Sydney, our relationship is completely professional. Something happened to the Dominican Republic. I mean, she's funny in it is yeah. I mean, my guess is that a Netflix pays I think people like Brett Goldstein. I was going to say, I think this is where you see the budget. Yeah, I think that they can't afford to have even like having Edward James almost play her first Jennifer Lopez's dad again as he did. Selena Reunion. Yes. And Selena in it. Yeah. I'm a huge fan of his. Just as a human being as a performer . And like the first scene where he shows up, it's like some boardroom scene. I was watching with my husband and I was like, wow, it really is like when you get a real old head, like the level of gravitas just goes way up . And I was happy to see him, but I was also like, wow, you're adding a lot like even Tony Hale's presence, Amy Soners' presence. You are adding a lot to this film that I wasn't expecting to see that sort of supporting cast. I feel what both of you are saying. I can't even say that I technically disagree with either of you. I mean, especially Ayisha to your point about Jennifer Lopez in romantic comedies . For me , monster in law , the wedding planner made a Manhattan, right? Of the sort of two thousands romantic comedies, I will go back and watch Jennifer Lopez a more so out of like nostalgia. A general positive regard that I have for her, even though I know that she's totally ridiculous, I've written on the NPR. org website about how ridiculous Jennifer Lopez is. But there is something I find very compelling. For me, I'm at a place in Jennifer Lopez's career. I'm at a place in her career , my understanding of her career, but her sort of self mythology around being this like public figure who's so associated with love and romance but always seems to strike out in that area of her life but always seems to kind of be trying again. It's very interesting to me that this is such a part of her persona because I do think that some of it is constructed, obviously. She would not be able to be the successful this long without some sort of constructed identity that we can all that we're all sort of fascinated with to a certain degree . But I don't know, some of it is like, I think I might've been on this show to discuss her like recent films that were about herself, her like long piece of video film. This is me now. This is this is me now. Yeah. The documentary she made about making this love how bonkers that movie is. And that's the thing I think for me, I get a lot of mileage out of like part of me can sort of buy into her being interested in a guy like Ret Goldstein who may, be on the surface, we're not exactly seeing the math on screen of why they grow to love each other, even though I did buy their attraction. To me, every Jennifer Lopez Rom comic like the past decade '.s There like sort of like a meta narrative for me around like sort of what she's trying to also work out through her persona and also in her personal life that I don't know, there's like so much self mythology at work on all levels of sort of like the Jennifer Lopez as like failed love goddess facet of her whole thing . For me, that is what makes these really sometimes not very good newer romantic comedies like work for me and also too there',s like also sort of to me another whole other meta narrative about like I'm watching the film and also I think you've all seen Jennifer Lopez and Bright Gold Seems like their press tour for this is kind of really they're really playing up the aspect of Brett Goldstein being obsessed with Jennifer Lopez, which like, I mean, you can go back and find a lot of like quotes from him in different interviews talking about how he's seen all of her movies and how he really wants to be in a movie with her and write something for her. There also, to me is this sort of like like, I'm, I don't know, Jennifer, like this the kind of man you need . Like this is it feels like to me like the sort of role that he's playing both on the press tour and in the film, I don't know, it kind of feels like it fits into like sort of like maybe this isn't just who Jackie Cruz in the film needs in her life, like a guy who's sort of like pathetically obsessed with her to the point where it kind of ruins his life. I think that she kind of needs that in real life too. So I don't know. I mean, like, I still got more mileage out of this. I think because I am fascinated with the whole Jennifer Lopez, will she ever find love of it all? And like, I don't know, on screen and in real life , it's like who's gonna be the man to really be that? That's the thing though, right? It's like so much of this is coming from outside of what is actually on the page and what is in the final product , right?ight. It's like at this point, what are we expecting from Jennifer Lopez in a romantic comedy? That's exactly true, that's exactly true. Okay, we are going to take a quick break, but when we come back, we will talk about the sillier aspects of the plot and whether they even matter for a romcom. Support for this podcast and the following message come from Wayfair. Outdoor seating, grills, decor, patio lighting, and more. Wayfair is your one stop shop for home. Wayfair also offers installation and assembly services for a truly seamless experience. They deal with the hard parts so you don't have to. Patio season is here. Head to Wayfair. com to get your outdoor space ready for way less. That's w a f ar . com This message is from AT and T with your summer essential the iPhone seventeen Pro. Its center stage front camera auto adjusts the frame to fit everyone into group selfies. Right now at AT and T, ask how you can get iPhone seventeen Pro on them with eligible trade in. Requires eligible plan , terms and restrictions apply subject to change. Visit AT slash iPhone for details. This message comes from LinkedIn, who knows an empty seat can cost small businesses more than just space. That's why LinkedIn hiring pro makes it easy to fill that seat with the right candidate, streamlining everything from posting jobs to shortlisting talent. Nearly sixty percent of businesses find someone to interview in the first week. Hire write the first time. Get started by posting your job for free at linked in. com slash NPR Terms and Conditions Apply Welcome back. Okay, Ayisha, I know you have more thought s about JLO. Is Jennifer Lopez a movie star? Absolutely. But is she an actress? It really depends on the script. Yeah . And again , beyond the chemistry between her and Brett Goldstein, whate ver. I also just think like who she is as a character throughout this doesn't really hold up and is not explored in an interesting way. The most interesting thing about her is that we learn that she's an Anglophile, like in a kind of creepy way. But like that was so weird. This is so weird. But then also like they set her up as this quote unquote nightmare boss, like she's a Miranda Priestley type character . And yet we don't really see. I don't know if I even got that that was what she was supposed to be. In the beginning, they were like, don't look her in the eye. Don't compliment her . Yes She hates the sound of breathing. Don't breathe, but if you have to breathe, try to take a quick gas through the side of your mouth like this . All of her coworkers are talking about her. They not sustain that throughout the film. And they don't sustain that. And I'm just like, what are we doing here? Is she a horrible person? And then at the end, near the end where she's like, We're all family. I'm like how did we make these leaps? At that point, I was like, whatever you go. I'll give it to you . This film has a lot of problems that I would put in the bucket of if the love story were working, I wouldn't care . But there's a lot of stuff that's like the whole kickoff of this movie is the airline is getting sued and the reason the airline is getting sued is that an arrival airline says, well, we were all lined up to get access to these gates at this airport , but then you went out and either slept with the guy who ran the airport or you paid off the guy who ran the airport. He was accused of and he gave you the gates and took them away from us. I'm not sure that's a lawsuit against the airline. Like it might be a lawsuit against the airport guy if he undid a contract with that . But like what are they being sued for other than a lawsuit that requires everyone to start talking about whether she slept with this guy from the airport or not? And so she's defending like her virtue in a way and it plays into this substoryline that the board is always trying to fire her why ? Like why is the board always trying to fire her? If they're trying to fire her , why don't they just fire her? If her dad who's the big head honcho who's still kind of lurking in the on the fringes of things even though he retired from being the CEO , if he's on her side and he's supporting her, why are they always trying to fire her if he's not , then why aren't they firing her? And it's like, so these are all things that I wouldn't care . There's also when you find out so Jodie Whittaker plays his sister who is the reason why he is in the United States . And when you first get an explanation of what exactly happened with her, I was like, well, obviously she's lying about this. This is not going to be what actually happened , but it is apparently and that's a wild choice, I think . It's one of those things where it's less these things in a romantic comedy are definitely important. It's more when you find yourself spending time thinking about these things , you know that something is not working in the basic thrust of it. And it's interesting, the conversation about Jennifer Lopez , I often find that the more kind of over the top the project , the more I buy her , I actually have enjoyed her more in something like shotgun wedding. Love it, which is like this absolutely ack. Wadoodle action picture comedy, wedding comedy, very violent action comedy. She's like shooting people. She's great and violent. Enough is a lovely. She's great in that movie. Love it. Yeah , let me just get to this and ask you guys this. Okay. Did you get the sense that there's like an underlying thing in this movie of like, oh everybody shouldn't be so personnicky about the CEO sleeping with people who were the company . I wonder if even like one or two scenes that really could have sold, I think their kind of somewhat odd couple dynamic where she's this very, very American ebulliant, sexy , vivacious woman, and he's this more sort of understated, dry, very British, more reserved kind of guy who kind of does have like a raunchy streak. I think that the film could have benefited from having one or two scenes that really solidified what could make them so exciting as a kind of odd couple Yeah. That played into their individual peculiarities like to really bring it together. Yeah, and one thing I did appreciate about this film is that it does not set up the dynamic as one person wants the relationship and the other person doesn't, or one person is needy and the other person can provide what they need. It really is both of them meet each other , see something in the other person. Both of them are not pursuing it because it's at work, essentially. Yeah. And I do like the kind of relative balance of that compared to, and Jennifer Lopez has talked about this a little bit with this film that it's not a thing like Made of Manhattan where like she's, you know, potentially being kind of rescued by a rich person or even the wedding planner where she's kind of working for richer people, that it kind of puts her on an evener heel , right with him. I mean, even she's obviously his boss. But like it doesn't put them in a it's not a thing where one of them needs and the other one of them gives . And I do appreciate that about it. And I think maybe that is where you see a little bit of the Bretoldstein Joe Kelly kind of emotional IQ that I was talking about. I just wanted a little bit more of that because those writers are so good at scenes where human beings come to understand each other . And I wanted more of that in this relationship because I respect the fact that they want to talk about the role of lust and sex. I was expecting a little bit more sex or se xy time than what like we get humorous sexual situations . You were expecting like tender sex, like sexy sex? Yeah, sexy sex and also just like again , maybe that would have helped me believe that they actually had chemistry as opposed to just like, let's make fun of the fact that she's obsessed with British people. Like, sure. I believe that the chemistry didn'.t They need that to have. They didn't need to have the whole angle of file angle. I believed the chemistry before then. But again, I mean, that's also me again grafting the real life Jennifer Lopez. I'm like, girl, you need someone who's going to be obsessed with you. You need to get it together, open your eyes up. You've been alone. I love how like for Brittany, these are all just texts about Jennifer Lopez, like in the in the greater Jennifer Lopez mythology. Actually maybe they are that for Jennifer Lopez, too. I think they kind of are. It is, it is interesting. She's Elizabeth Taylor. She's the Elizabeth Taylor of our time. The thing is she believes in love though. Listen, I think if you go into this with appropriate expectations which are,