Jennifer Lopez’s new Netflix rom-com is surprisingly dirty — thank goodness

Netflix‘s NSFW Office Romance has delivered Jennifer Lopez her best rom-com in more than a decade—and god bless her writer and co-star, Brett Goldstein, for realizing that a gritty reboot was needed.

JLo has long been considered the queen of the genre thanks to jaw-dropping classics like Maid in Manhattan and The Wedding Planner, but let’s face it, it’s been a while since any of the newer ones really made a mark.

Owen Wilson was a great movie for her in Marry Me, which was suitable for use from 2022, with the start of 2023 bringing us the perfectly enjoyable Shotgun Wedding with Josh Duhamel. That was the last time we saw her in her frothy romance element, and the plot details for both are…hazy in my memory now.

That won’t be the fate of “Office Romance,” however, with Goldstein rehashing the usual forgettable material surrounding her glamorous leading lady for jokes, an erection gag and a series of c-bombs, not to mention a stunning glimpse of a vagina in labor.

It sounds a lot more like the kind of rudeness you’d get in a boy movie, but I promise it works. Goldstein and co-writer Joe Kelly know that, on top of that, it’s a gentle ode to him. Titanic and public declarations of love. Those necessary beats of a rom-com are duly honored.

It all seems a bit more realistic (well, as far as a great romance between two rich and attractive actors) – and certainly more enjoyable – than a hot-minute JLo rom-com.

Lopez plays Jackie, the working CEO of Air Cruz, with Goldstein as her company attorney, Daniel Blanchflower, who is brought in to work alongside her on a lawsuit when his boss Peter (Bradley Whitford) is incapacitated.

We first meet the two at parallel dinner parties, where Daniel has a drunken date who calls her an ap***y for not kissing the lip she split falling off the table, while Jackie deals with a business associate who confesses that he’s still masturbating to his ex-wife. Pretty awful for both of them.

But seeing Lopez in this more self-deprecating setting is a breath of fresh air. She is in a position of power now, as befits her status and age, but also exists in a new universe where her airline founder father’s nickname for her means ‘little fat’.

However, the office romance is not deceptive in terms of its charm; not only does she make Daniel lose his tongue, but it’s also made clear that any fraternization between the pair (strictly against company policy) would be ‘like Helen of Troy having sex with Mr. Bean’.

Surprisingly, when it comes to the actual sex scenes it’s the only time Office Romance holds back, settling for its fade to black – which may disappoint some fans.

Still, Lopez and Goldstein’s chemistry is fun — especially when it’s revealed that Jackie has a little British swagger — and undeniable. (And the co-stars are rumored to have had a fling after filming in real life.)

But outside of the main couple, it’s the side characters that shine as truly exceptional in this genre. It’s not a surprise, given Goldstein’s previous origins with Shrinking and Ted Lasso, famous for some of the most beloved supporting characters in TV history.