Jennifer Lopez’s New Netflix Rom-Com Has Viewers Furious Over Its “AI-Written” Script
Jennifer Lopez has spent much of her career being told she belongs in a rom-com, and for a long time, she delivered. From ‘The Wedding Planner’ to ‘Maid in Manhattan,’ she helped define a golden era of the genre before Hollywood quietly moved on from it. Now, with streaming giving big-star romantic comedies a second life, Lopez is back in familiar territory with ‘Office Romance,’ a glossy, R-rated Netflix release that reunites her with the kind of material that once made her a household name.
The film pairs Lopez with Brett Goldstein in a workplace love story built around power, attraction, company rules, and questionable professional decisions. Lopez plays Jackie Cruz, the hard-driving CEO of an airline called Air Cruz, while Goldstein plays Daniel Blanchflower, the company’s newly hired lawyer. Goldstein co-wrote the screenplay with his ‘Ted Lasso’ collaborator Joe Kelly, specifically crafting the lead role with Lopez in mind. Ol Parker, director of ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,’ helmed the film, which carries an R rating and runs just under two hours.
The premise sounds irresistible on paper, and the talent behind it gave audiences every reason to expect a crowd-pleaser. But since the film dropped on Netflix, a vocal portion of viewers have been expressing serious disappointment, with many taking to social media to compare the writing to something generated by artificial intelligence rather than crafted by actual human hands. Critics have been largely in agreement that the film is, at best, as formulaic as they come, with some noting that it lacks the charm, wit, or chemistry needed to spark into anything special.
The film currently holds a 48 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. AV Club’s Monica Castillo argued that “while the romance here feels tenuous at best, the comedy is in even worse shape, often mistaking uncomfortable oversharing for punchlines,” adding that it fails as a satisfying comeback for Lopez. The Hollywood Reporter was equally blunt, delivering a bottom-line verdict of “not worth running afoul of HR for.”
Not every voice has been this harsh. Variety noted that while the film is modest in scope and technique, it carries some of the tactile warmth associated with old-fashioned studio romantic comedies, aided by strong cinematography and production design. The Wrap praised Lopez for bringing grace and self-assurance to the role, arguing that a younger version of herself could not have played Jackie with the same confidence she brings now.
Behind the scenes, the project began as a genuine passion project. Goldstein revealed that he and Kelly originally conceived the film during a three-hour train ride between Manchester and London, bonding over their shared love of classic rom-coms before agreeing that Lopez was their undisputed dream lead. Director Ol Parker spoke glowingly about the result, noting that the chemistry between the two leads was something that had to be seen to be believed.
The film positions itself squarely within the tradition of glossy, adult, studio-scale romantic comedies that largely disappeared from theatres over the past decade, squeezed out by franchises and micro-budget horror, betting that the audience for grown-up romance never actually went anywhere. Whether that gamble pays off may ultimately come down to the viewers themselves, not the critics.
Whether you think ‘Office Romance’ is a warm throwback or a painfully generic love story, we want to know where you land, so tell us in the comments whether Jennifer Lopez’s latest was the rom-com comeback you were hoping for or a missed opportunity.
