“Office Romance” follows two workaholics who start thinking with their hearts and get into a secret office romance.
There’s a strange style of comedy within “Office Romance.” For example, sexual assault… is funny? Workplace harassment… is funny? These are the jokes that the film expects viewers to laugh at, and it’s immediately off-putting. Rather than taking the scenarios seriously, it portrays them as “sexy.” Even when HR is involved, the outcome remains the same. To top it off, the basic premise of “Office Romance” involves an abuse of power — with Jennifer Lopez’s character being the head of an airline and Brett Goldstein’s being a subordinate lawyer.
If this were a drama or thriller, these concepts could be adequately explored. Since this is a rom-com, the strange dynamics don’t fit. Director Ol Parker attempts to craft a “cute” central relationship, but with these caveats preceding it, there’s really nothing adorable about it.
In this, it explores themes of mundane workplace restrictions and “career versus personal life” boundaries. There are brief instances where it strikes a chord, but most of the time, it’s surface-level.
“Ms. Cruz and I violated this company’s zero-tolerance policy on interoffice relationships. But our relationship wasn’t inappropriate. It was appropriate and… magical.”
After the unsavory opening, the film does find somewhat of a footing. Despite pushing the comedy to the extremes, Parker at least lets the romance breathe. Other movies rush into the central relationship, but “Office Romance” gives it time to develop. Tension gradually accumulates before fully being unleashed around the midway point. Much of this buildup is offset by the bizarre humor, but it’s effective underneath the unpleasantness nonetheless.
It follows the standard rom-com format: irresistible attraction, breakup and reconnection. Still, the ordinary structure of Goldstein and Joe Kelly’s script is rewarded with believable chemistry between Lopez (Jackie Cruz) and Goldstein (Daniel Blanchflower) himself. Lopez plays her usual character, a “boss woman.” She isn’t completely straight-faced, though, also adding unique quirks that make Jackie feel like a real person. Goldstein is successful at executing cringe comedy. He often mumbles his words, but gradually grows more confident as the runtime progresses. Take away the workplace awkwardness and their differing personalities complement each other well.
Also appearing are Betty Gilpin (Sydney Bloom) and Bradley Whitford (Peter Vance). Playing the divide between Lopez and Goldstein, Gilpin delivers plenty of quick-witted lines. Whitford only shows up in brief spurts, but carries over-the-top energy every time. Both add much-needed relief to the conventional shenanigans.
This doesn’t mean that it’s not overbloated, though. With a 112-minute runtime, “Office Romance” overstays its welcome. Outside of the central narrative, the film moves into various subplots that are out of place and uninteresting. Not to mention abrupt. This includes a graphic, in-your-face birthing scene. With so much “fluff” comes tonal inconsistencies, containing a plethora of moments that make the overall experience disjointed.
“Office Romance” is in love with everything. Alongside the distasteful core premise, it isn’t able to maintain focus on what people came to see — a romantic comedy.
Rating: 2 out of 5
