If you loved or even liked the Barbie (2023) movie, you may want to move on and look elsewhere for your review of Ladies First (2026). However, if you too found it to be sappy, depressing, preachy, so-called feminist slop, Ladies First could be the antidote you didn’t know you needed. Needless to say, I hated the Barbie movie. And I was excited to see the IP used as fodder for a comedy. I’ll say it, woman can be funny. And they can be not-so-funny. Downers even. Which, save Ryan Gosling as Ken, the Barbie movie proved. In my humble opinion, if you wanted to make a point and give viewers (women and men alike) an “a-ha” feeling and overall established gender roles and expectations are bad takeaway, show don’t tell. Make us laugh and the point is hard won. The Barbie movie was only comedy adjacent thanks to some occasional, not always terrible, sight gags, smarmy eyewinks and Gosling moments; it chose to lecture its point instead of making us laugh at the ridiculousness of gender power dynamics through the eyes of the iconic toy. It had a lot of potential. Just imagine the fun and wit from a fish-out-of-water Barbie doll in the real world, with misogynistic situations and R-rated real talk. Alas, it was not a good time brought to us by funny, capable and entertaining women that we know are out there. Thankfully the ladies of Ladies First are here and game to give us the silly and thoughtful humour we crave, courtesy of a proper satire. Damien Sachs (Sacha Baron Cohen) is thriving as a womanizing, sexist, ageist white male killing it in the marketing industry, and when his fish-out-of-water journey comes, he’s teamed up with the likes of Rosamund Pike, Emily Mortimer and Fiona Shaw for this go for broke fantasy where women abuse and luxuriate in their power and men wear push-up bras for their balls. Sachs is plunged into an alternative reality where men are playthings, judged on their looks and dismissed intellectually. And yet, as far as humour goes, it’s equal opportunity. In fact it’s a lot of the throwaway and situational jokes that make the film fun. For example, Sachs’ dad (Ron Cook) within the bizzarro world as the “mom” is a delight and does the utmost with his small part, as does everyone with their respective gender swaps and send ups. And the point is made. Woman have some ridiculous expectations thrust upon them, should they choose to accept them. It can be tragic. And I’m here for musings on misappropriated power. To start, let’s all settle down and accept that merit is the defining principle. What do I mean by that? Ladies First is a crass, silly, joke-heavy, entertaining, lightweight, high concept feminist comedy. It’s the real deal and makes the Barbie movie look like a bimbo.

WATCH OR NOT: WATCH