Few actresses understand the romantic comedy formula better than Jennifer Lopez. From The Wedding Planner and Maid in Manhattan to Monster-in-Law and Marry Me, her career has been built on films that knew exactly what audiences wanted from her: charisma, charm, humor, and a heroine worth rooting for. That is precisely why Office Romance, Netflix’s newest rom-com, feels so frustrating. Not because it is a disaster, but because it wastes nearly every ingredient that could have made it memorable.

In the film, Lopez plays Jackie Cruz, the CEO of AirCruz Airlines. The daughter of the company’s founder, Jackie, has built her reputation as a brilliant, disciplined executive obsessed with rules. Among them is a strict policy prohibiting relationships between employees. The problem begins when Daniel Blanchflower (Brett Goldstein), the lawyer responsible for defending the company against a series of lawsuits, enters her life. What starts as a professional relationship quickly becomes something more, putting both of them on a collision course with the very rules they helped uphold.

The premise has potential. The corporate setting, the tension between power and desire, and the backdrop of a major airline could have produced an elegant and entertaining romantic comedy. There are even moments when the film seems to find that path. One of its strongest scenes involves Jackie piloting her own plane during a trip with Daniel. As they encounter turbulence, she reassures him that she would never let him fall from the sky. It is a simple moment, but one that hints at an emotional depth the rest of the film rarely reaches.

The biggest problem with Office Romance is that it never seems genuinely interested in developing its central relationship. Instead, Brett Goldstein and Joe Kelly’s screenplay becomes distracted by an overwhelming number of supporting characters, guest appearances, and side plots that feel more suited to a streaming series compressed into two hours than to a feature film. Parallel storylines, corporate conflicts, family drama, eccentric employees, and secret office romances constantly compete for attention.

As a result, Jackie and Daniel spend much of the movie sharing the spotlight with elements that add little to the main narrative. The chemistry between Lopez and Goldstein never becomes fully convincing because the film rarely allows the characters to simply exist together. Whenever their relationship begins to gain momentum, the script quickly introduces another distraction.

Lopez herself becomes a victim of this approach. Although she is clearly the film’s centerpiece, Jackie remains a surprisingly shallow character. We know she is powerful, admired, and highly competent. We know she inherited the airline from her father and still flies planes herself. Yet the movie never goes much deeper than those surface-level traits. More often than not, it feels less like we are watching a character and more like we are watching an idealized version of Jennifer Lopez.

That may be why Betty Gilpin frequently emerges as the most compelling presence on screen. Playing Sydney, Jackie’s right-hand woman, Gilpin brings spontaneity, humor, and personality to a story that often seems more concerned with keeping its protagonist flawless than making her human. Even in the film’s most ridiculous situations, she finds moments of genuine authenticity.

Ironically, one of the funniest sequences arrives after the credits. Once Jackie and Daniel publicly reveal their relationship, the company changes its policy and allows workplace romances as long as they are officially disclosed. The result is a cascade of revelations involving nearly everyone in the office. Secret affairs, unexpected relationships, and embarrassing confessions turn the HR department into complete chaos. The scene is light, funny, and energetic, highlighting a curious truth: the movie often seems more interested in its supporting cast than in its central love story.

In the end, Office Romance operates much like many of Netflix’s romantic comedies. It is attractive, pleasant, and easy to watch. It provides a few hours of harmless entertainment and the familiar comfort of a charismatic star doing exactly what audiences expect her to do. But something essential is missing. The chemistry is lacking. The emotional depth is lacking. The personality is lacking.

Jennifer Lopez remains a magnetic screen presence. The problem is that this time, not even she can make the film soar.