Office Romance: Lopez and Goldstein Charm in Conspicuously Quirky Rom-Com

By Karen Gordon

Rating: B-

Rom-coms are quirky by nature. And whether it’s the odd way the characters come together — a.k.a. the meet-cute — or the thing that breaks them up and makes us wonder how they’ll ever get back together, quirky is part of the rom-com formula. And part of their charms.

But Netflix’s new rom-com Office Romance asks the question: can a romantic comedy be too quirky for its own good? My vote is yes.

It’s a wonderfully cast romantic comedy, co-written by a genuinely funny guy — Brett Goldstein of Ted Lasso fame, who also co-stars in the film and is smart, warm, and all kinds of fabulously appealing things. And Office Romance is structured so that quirky moments, characters and situations are as prevalent as the romance. But that quickly gets tiresome.

Office Romance is wonderfully cast down to the cameos but so filled with bits and pieces aiming to amuse that almost from the get-go, it feels artificial enough to remind us that we’re watching a movie that’s trying hard to please.

I've buried the lede here. The film stars Jennifer Lopez as Jackie Cruz, the president and CEO of Air Cruz, and a pilot herself. It’s a family business: the company was founded by her father Captain Jack Cruz (Edward James Olmos) who has passed the baton to her.

Beautiful, fashionable, always done up to a T, Jackie, we're told, is a tough boss, all business and with no time for a personal life. An early scene suggests her staff is even afraid to breathe in her presence.

She’s wrangled by her assistant Sydney Bloom (Betty Gilpin) who is, despite being eight months pregnant, fiercely protective of her boss, and as knowledgeable about the business and focused on the work. Gilpin’s performance is outstanding, reminiscent of Emily Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada.

Goldstein plays lawyer Danny Blanchflower, who is a relatively new addition to the legal team at Air Cruz. Some in the firm wonder why this British lawyer, from London no less, is working as part of the legal team for a small airline in New Jersey. He shrugs it off, but there is a reason he won't divulge.

Jackie Cruz is about to be deposed by a competitor who has brought an action against her, suggesting that she acquired space for her planes at an airport by sleeping with the decision-maker. Is that a real charge? I guess that’s supposed to suggest sexism on their part along with charges of bribery?

Legit or not, it sets up the dual problems Jackie faces as a woman in the business: blatant sexism that suggests she’s not good enough at her job but a requirement that she use her sexuality to win.

And then there’s problems with her board who, despite the airline's growing success under Jackie’s leadership, see her as a nepo-baby and seeks reasons to turf her. A case like this could threaten everything for her.

On the day of the deposition, the firm's senior lawyer — the broadly colourful Peter Vance (Bradley Whitford) — is sidelined by an accident. Daniel, who is still new to the airline and hasn't met his boss yet is called in at the last minute. He impresses Jackie with his preparation, unflappable manner, and clever tactics.

Danny and Jackie are immediately attracted to each other. The company has a policy that strictly forbids romantic relationships between employees. Although they try to resist, no real spoiler alert, their chemistry is too strong, and they get romantically involved.

It’s a fun premise for a rom-com and Lopez and Goldstein make a genuinely sweet couple. They feel grounded and real even against the overworked quirkiness of the film. They're people we want to invest in.

Lopez makes you feel for her character, who is cool on the outside, but is struggling with the weight of all of the negatives thrown at her to the point of depriving herself of a personal life. A lot of women will relate to her.

But the film just tries too hard with the odd bits. It feels like they wrote it to the beat of a metronome: aiming to add something quirky ever X number of minutes to the point of distraction. And I also question the taste level of some of the choices.

Still, there is sweetness there. That’s a Goldstein speciality that we’ve seen in his previous work: his ability to be off-colour at times yet never lose that good-natured warmth.

We want our rom-coms to be offbeat and come to a happy ending. But sometimes, as in real life, trying too hard negates the fun.

Office Romance. Directed by Ol Parker, written by Brett Goldstein and Joe Kelly. Starring Jennifer Lopez, Brett Goldstein, Betty Gilpin, Bradley Whitford, and Edward James Olmos. Now streaming on Netflix.