Sacha Baron Cohens Romcom Slammed as Dated Flop

's comeback movie Ladies First has been brutally branded a 'painfully dated' flop by reviewers following its debut on Friday.

The comedian, 54, plays a misogynistic CEO, who hits his head and awakens to find himself in a parallel world dominated by women, with one reviewer claiming the 'unfunny' romcom left viewers also wishing they had been 'knocked unconscious'. 

Ladies First, which also stars Oscar nominee Rosamund Pike, marks Sacha's first big project following his split from wife Isla Fisher and former co-star 's shock claims about him in her 2024 memoir. 

In a chapter titled Sacha Baron Cohen And Other A**holes, the Aussie actress said he forced her to be naked while .

The Ladies First cast also includes the likes of Richard E. Grant, Emily Mortimer and Fiona Shaw, in a 'criminal waste of talent' according to The Guardian. 

Benjamin Lee

'It's an excruciatingly unfunny high-concept thought experiment, imagining a world with flipped gender politics, that's far too happy with itself and what it's allegedly achieving to be passed off as just some charming throwback.'.

While Robbie Collin in The Telegraph awarded the film just two stars and questioned: 'What is Rosamund Pike doing in this stupid comedy?'.

'The opening 10 or so minutes are diabolical: absent not merely of laughs, but of jokes full stop. (There is music which suggests you are hearing jokes, and edits that imply you just heard a joke a few seconds before, but these are not the same thing.)'

The Financial Times, who also gave the comedy two stars, said: 'The dreary plot which eventually kicks in, and has Baron Cohen and Pike vying for a promotion, feels like something cut from one of the weaker Bridget Jones films – albeit shot in that odd Netflix house style that somehow looks simultaneously expensive and cheap.'

The movie's trailer  caused a huge stir when it was released last month, with some fans blasting the film as being simply about 'toxic masculinity,' while others pointed out its similarities to the Noughties hit What Women Want. 

They said: 'Could have been cool if they thought seriously about what a matriarchy could have realistically looked like rather than just making it revolve around male microaggressions done by women (pretty face, smile more etc);'

'What's that? A preachy flick about toxic masculinity? How stunning. Much brave!;' Parallel world... same reconciliation problems... universally relatable;' 'Would have been relevant 30 years ago...;' 'Genuinely might be the worst trailer I've ever seen. Rosamund Pike's agent needs to be jailed;' 'Thanks for reminding me how smart it was to cancel Netflix forever;'

In her memoir Rebel accused the Ali G and Borat actor of pressuring her into doing a nude scene and making her wear clothes that showed her in the most unflattering light. She also alleged he bullied her and asked her to stick her finger up his 'b**t'.

Sacha, who co-wrote and produced the film, denied all of Rebel's claims.

Taking to Instagram ahead of her book's release, she wrote: 'I will not be silenced by high priced lawyers or PR crisis managers. The a****** I am talking about in ONE CHAPTER of my book is: Sacha Baron Cohen.'

In the wake of her statement, Sacha spoke out to TMZ via representatives, saying: 'While we appreciate the importance of speaking out, these demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence...

'[With] contemporaneous documents, film footage, and eyewitness accounts from those present before, during and after the production of The Brothers Grimsby.'

While the book was the contentious section was redacted when released in the UK, which Rebel claimed was 'due to the peculiarities of the law in England and Wales,' while Sacha's legal team declared it a 'clear victory'.

A week after the claims surfaced, Sacha's wife Isla announced she and the actor had .

While Rebel and Isla were once friends, having co-starred in the 2012 movie Bachelorette, Rebel confessed the pair hadn't spoken since she .

Earlier this month was called a liar who concocted 'terrible allegations' about people involved in the making of her film, The Deb, a court was told. 

The Pitch Perfect star copped the blunt assessment in the dying hours of a fiery defamation battle where she is being sued by Charlotte MacInnes, the lead actor in the musical comedy, which Wilson directed, co-.

MacInnes claims Rebel defamed her in a series of social media posts that suggested she is a liar and a sellout who walked back a sexual misconduct complaint to further her career.

The posts claimed MacInnes confided to Rebel - and later recanted - that she felt uncomfortable when the film's co-producer Amanda Ghost asked to have a shower and a bath together.

MacInnes denies making or retracting a complaint, insisting she was not uncomfortable when the pair shared a bath in their swimwear after Ms Ghost suffered a medical episode in September 2023.