Office Romance is not just a rom-com, it's a film about Jennifer Lopez's power The icon of rom coms is the star of a new Netflix original
On Netflix, Brett Goldstein and Jennifer Lopez star together in Office Romance, a romantic comedy written by the actor and creator of Ted Lasso and Shrinking, which feels almost tailored to the public image and professional persona of the Bronx-born singer and performer. The fact that the role was originally written for the American diva was confirmed by the British co-star. Together with collaborator Joe Kelly, they sent the script to J.Lo along with a letter that read: "We wrote this for you. You are at the top of our list. Our list only has one name."
Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein: Netflix’s new on-screen couple
The reason, according to the iconic face of Roy Kent, was simple. When thinking about the greatest female romantic icon of our time, Jennifer Lopez was the first name that came to mind for both of them. Any suggestion that this association also reflects the current stage of the actress’s career after years of work is ours. It is evident in the role she was given: a CEO of a commercial airline company (and also a pilot!), she leads the company founded by her father and with which she has worked since its creation.
A CEO with no margin for error
A woman who has never put a foot wrong, who has devoted herself body and soul to her work, and who has placed the company above everything else in order to prove she deserves the position inherited from her father. A privileged figure, as the men (and we emphasise men) on the board of her Air Cruz believe, she cannot afford a single mistake that might jeopardise the empire she helped build. Which means resisting the attraction towards the new lawyer who has just arrived from England, the combative and reserved Daniel Blanchflower (Goldstein). The company policy is crystal clear: romantic relationships in the workplace are not allowed. And even more so, and this hardly needs stating, if you are the CEO.
Public scrutiny of women in power
Jennifer Lopez’s position in the entertainment industry is often under the spotlight, as is, arguably always the case, for women who reach such a level of power in their field. This seems to legitimise a certain degree of judgement towards them, as if the ethical, social and moral tribunal were always ready to scrutinise every small misstep and turn it into a public case. Sometimes this attention is actively desired by celebrities themselves. Other times, however, it is pre-packaged with fame and demands an almost impossible level of perfection and zero margin for error when it comes to women.
J.Lo between myth, career and public obsession
J.Lo is the example of a global superstar whose empire has been built on constant determination and hard work which, although not always flawless, has made her one of those figures who cannot be ignored among the most influential artists of her generation. Yet dedication and achievements are not enough to quell the obsession with her marriage contracts or with anecdotes about astrological fixations that allegedly led her to fire all dancers born under the sign of Virgo from her entourage (an anecdote later clarified and downplayed by the artist). In short: the judgement of the social tribunal looms over her and her peers, and this is reflected in the layered structure of Office Romance, where comedy drives the narrative, but the subtext emerges as the most interesting layer of a film that would otherwise remain fairly average.
J.Lo’s rom-com career as a reflection of her rise
A CEO role that sets a clear direction within the actress’s filmography and, by extension, her professional journey. A trajectory that moves from her early beginnings to global success, a transformation only an actress of her stature could embody. Jennifer Lopez has, in fact, been a wedding planner (The Wedding Planner) and a luxury hotel maid (Maid in Manhattan), then a pop star (Marry Me) and a successful lawyer (Shotgun Wedding), and now the CEO of an entire airline (Office Romance).
Office Romance on Netflix says more about its protagonist than its characters
Office Romance is a film for her and about her, and it is therefore easy to connect it directly to its plot, or, as Goldstein and Kelly themselves admit, it is written this way because only in this form and role can the modern-day superstar truly be imagined. Whether the chemistry with her co-star is adequate yet somewhat lukewarm is another matter entirely. As is the fact that, despite Goldstein’s well-known love for the romance genre, self-casting himself as the male lead may not have been the best choice. Ultimately, what we are left with is a film that says far more about Jennifer Lopez as a cultural projection than about the behaviours, appropriate or otherwise, that should be upheld in the workplace.