OFFICE ROMANCE (NETFLIX) (2026)

SYNOPSIS: Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein lead a raunchy romantic comedy about a secret office romance and the trouble two workaholics get in when they start thinking with their hearts.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Jennifer Lopez has always been comfortable in a romantic comedy. Even when the story is predictable, she has a way of making it feel warm, glossy and easy to watch. "Office Romance", her Netflix rom-com with Brett Goldstein, clearly knows that. The movie feels like a deliberate throwback to the kind of traditional rom-coms Lopez built a big part of her film career on - "The Wedding Planner", "Maid in Manhattan", "Monster-in-Law" and even her more recent "Marry Me". It is light, polished, mostly inoffensive and happy to give viewers exactly what they expect. The issue is that it rarely gives them anything more than that.

Lopez plays Jackie Cruz, the CEO of a New Jersey-based airline. She is sharp, stylish and very much in control, at least on the surface. Brett Goldstein plays Daniel Blanchflower, a British lawyer working for the company. He is more awkward and low-key than Jackie, which gives the film its main romantic contrast. She is all confidence and polish; he is nervous, dry and a little out of place. The movie builds its romance around that difference, hoping their opposite personalities will create the kind of spark that old-school rom-coms depend on.

The setup is familiar, but not unpleasant. Jackie gets caught up in a workplace lawsuit, and Daniel ends up having to defend her after the company’s top lawyer is suddenly unavailable because of a goofy accident. From there, the two are pushed into each other’s lives. What starts as a professional relationship slowly turns into something more personal. There are awkward conversations, private jokes, tense office moments, and eventually a work trip to the Dominican Republic, where the movie gets to loosen up and lean into sunnier, more romantic territory.

There is also a company rule against office relationships, which gives the story its obvious problem. Jackie and Daniel cannot simply fall for each other without consequences. Their relationship could affect the lawsuit, damage Jackie’s position at the company, and create trouble with the board. On top of that, Jackie is trying to prove herself to her father and to the people around her who may still doubt her leadership. These details give Lopez a little more to play than just “successful woman falls in love.” Jackie is powerful, but she is also lonely and under pressure, and Lopez sells that nicely.

As usual, Lopez is the best reason to watch the movie. She knows exactly how to carry this kind of material. She looks glamorous, but she also brings enough warmth to stop Jackie from feeling too cold or perfect. Even when the script is not doing anything especially surprising, Lopez keeps the movie moving. She has the kind of screen presence that makes familiar rom-com beats feel a little fresher than they are.

Goldstein is a more unusual fit for this type of glossy Netflix romance, but that is also part of the appeal. He does not feel like the typical rom-com leading man. He is softer, more nervous and more dryly funny. Sometimes his chemistry with Lopez works because of that contrast. At other times, the pairing feels slightly forced, as if the movie is asking us to believe in a great romance before it has fully earned it. They are likable together, but they do not exactly set the screen on fire.

That is the biggest problem with "Office Romance". It is pleasant, but it does not have much of a spark. The movie is never painful to watch, and it is rarely boring, but it also feels like something Netflix has made many times before. There are attractive offices, pretty locations, a supportive best friend, a few cheeky jokes, a secret relationship, a big emotional turning point and a tidy ending. It is all handled smoothly, but maybe too smoothly. Nothing feels messy, surprising or specific enough to make the film stand apart.

The movie also seems to want credit for being a slightly more grown-up rom-com, especially with some of its more adult jokes. But even those moments do not really change the film’s basic personality. At heart, this is still a very safe, very traditional romantic comedy. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes people want a movie that is charming, easy and low-stress. On that level, "Office Romance" does its job.

Still, it is hard not to wish the film had taken a few more risks. Lopez has proven many times that she can carry a rom-com, and Goldstein has enough charm to make Daniel memorable in small moments. The pieces are there. What is missing is a sharper script, a stronger comic rhythm or a more surprising emotional hook.

In the end, "Office Romance" is helped and hurt by its own nostalgia. It succeeds as a pleasing hark back to the traditional rom-coms that made Jennifer Lopez such a natural star in the genre. It is easy to watch, mostly harmless and often charming. But because it sticks so closely to the old formula, it never quite finds the spark that would separate it from the many other rom-coms already sitting on Netflix. It is pleasant company, but not an unforgettable date.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Gabriel Chong