Anna Smith argues that despite poor reviews, Netflix’s gender-swap comedy *Ladies First* remains worth watching because it exposes sexism by reversing traditional power dynamics. In the film, Sacha Baron Cohen’s chauvinistic character wakes up in a world where women hold social and professional power and men face the kind of objectification, patronising behaviour and double standards women often experience. Smith says the film matters less as a polished piece of cinema than as a mainstream, accessible way of helping audiences recognise everyday gender bias.

She acknowledges significant flaws, including uneven humour and a largely binary, heterosexual view of gender, and notes that critics have mostly been negative. However, she highlights a gap between critical and audience response, pointing to Rotten Tomatoes scores of 26% from critics and 64% from audiences. Smith also cites online reactions from male viewers who said the role reversal made them better understand women’s treatment, arguing that this reflects the film’s value as a prompt for empathy, especially in the post-#MeToo context.