Netflix's 'Ladies First' Cast Is British A-Listers First

Despite cratering in the early 2010s, romantic comedies have been making a comeback, especially on streaming services, where they provide comfort viewing for those who need to believe in romance again because they've had their heart broken or just need a night on the couch eating chocolates and watching a pair of idiots deny they're in love. A few rom-coms have gotten theatrical releases and landed big box office numbers. However, like the upcoming Bridget Jones sequel, most find it safer and more dependable to focus on the audiences at home, including Netflix's latest, Ladies First.

The plot of Ladies First sounds like something that would have been a major box office draw in 2002, a jerkface womanizer who falls in love with a lady who would make Samantha Jones' man-eating ways look tame, the sort of thing Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Lopez would make bank on, once upon a time. However, Netflix aims higher, taking what sounds like a bog-standard plot and juicing it up by casting some of the biggest names in British acting, the sort of cast that elevates a script like this just by looking at it.

In this case, the couple in question are played by actors who don't sound like they'd work at first glance: Sacha Baron Cohen (Disclaimer) and Rosamund Pike (The Wheel of Time). However, as two people who start as self-centered purveyors of one-night stands, each is pretty bang on. It's just a matter of whether or not the two can make the chemistry happen once they get together.