Jennifer Lopez is back to her rom-com roots. But this Office Romance is definitely NSFW (which means “not safe for work,” for the uninitiated).
Lopez and Brett Goldstein star in the new film, respectively, as Jackie, an airline CEO, and Daniel, her company’s lawyer. “Office Romance is a very classic romantic comedy, but with these unexpected jokes,” Lopez says. “It’s a little different from the other romantic comedies that I made, which are very sweet and wholesome.” See the raunchy proof for yourself, now streaming only on Netflix.
Penned by Goldstein and Joe Kelly, the rom-com is directed by Ol Parker (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again) and co-stars Betty Gilpin. The film also reteams Lopez with Edward James Olmos, who originally played her father in the 1997 film Selena, and will once again portray her onscreen father.
“[Joe and I] were like, ‘We love rom-coms — really good, old school rom-coms.’ We feel like we haven’t seen one for a while that was really banging and good and we were like, ‘We should write one, but make it hard jokes,’” Goldstein said. “We were like, ‘Who’s the best rom-com actor to do it with?’ We both were like, ‘J-Lo.’ … She’s got industrial levels of charm.”
What is Office Romance about?
Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein lead the charming and raunchy romantic comedy about a secret office romance and the trouble two workaholics get in when they start thinking with their hearts.
Lopez is so excited that fans can finally watch her character, Jackie, fall for British lawyer Daniel. “The point of romantic comedies is the journey, it’s people overcoming their fears, it’s people facing themselves,” the actor said on Skip Intro. “It’s a very deep — there’s a deep underpinning to romantic comedies that I think really people relate to and enjoy because we all want a happy ending.
Watch the trailer for Office Romance here.
Where did Office Romance film?
At the midpoint of Office Romance, Jackie and Daniel sit on the former’s balcony, discussing the merits of New Jersey. Jackie grew up in the Garden State and Daniel is quickly becoming a fan. “It’s the most beautiful place on Earth,” he says.
Fittingly, Office Romance filmed the bulk of its scenes in New Jersey. The cast and crew also jetted to the Dominican Republic for the rom-com’s tropical jaunt. Originally, Jackie and Daniel’s work trip was supposed to take them to Vancouver. But director Parker had a different idea for the Office Romance filming location.
“It didn’t need to be Vancouver. One of my first notes was like, ‘We need to open it up. We need to go somewhere,’” Parker says. The team settled on a beachy trip to the Caribbean instead for production.
“It’s brilliant. We had a lovely time there, and it makes the movie just more. Bigger and more romantic,” Parker continues. “Everyone looks even happier and more gorgeous with water behind them — especially when they’re Brett and Jennifer.”
Who is in the Office Romance cast?
- Jennifer Lopez (Atlas, The Mother) as Jackie Cruz
- Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso, Shrinking) as Daniel Blanchflower
- Betty Gilpin (American Primeval, GLOW) as Sydney
- Edward James Olmos (Selena, Mayans M.C.) as Captain Jack Cruz
- Tony Hale (Veep, Inside Out 2) as George Dudek
- Bradley Whitford (The Handmaid’s Tale, The Diplomat) as Peter Vance
- Amy Sedaris (Strangers with Candy, At Home with Amy Sedaris) as Julie Schatz
- Tony Plana (White House Plumbers, Ugly Betty) as Francisco Alberto
- Roger Bart (Back to the Future: The Musical, The Producers) as William Butten
- Jackie Sandler (The Wrong Missy, Kinda Pregnant) as Caroline
- Donald Elise Watkins (Emergency, Fly Me to the Moon) as Henry
- Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who, Toxic Town) as Lizzy
- Natalie Ortega (Wicked, Search Party) as Heather
- Mary Wiseman (The Residence, Star Trek: Discovery) as Clair
- Brian Gallivan (Shrinking) as Frederick
- Ali Stroker (Only Murders in the Building, Ozark) as Maggie
- Michelle Hurd (Star Trek: Picard, Anyone But You) as Rachel Goldberg
- Scott Seiss (Cocaine Bear, Shortcomings) as Dave
- Lisa Gilroy (Jury Duty, Interior Chinatown) as Tanya
- Rick Hoffman (Suits, Thanksgiving) as Carl Gunderson
- Will Sasso (Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, Loudermilk) as Larry
- Mo Welch (The Paper, Dad Jokes) as Debbie
“There’s a real thrill for me, about 35 minutes into the movie: You cut to the HR door of AirCruz, and behind it, there’s Tony Hale,” says Office Romance director Ol Parker. “You’re like, ‘Oh, that is a deep bench.’ Even later in the film, there’s Amy Sedaris. And I’ve just always thought Betty Gilpin is a genius. Everyone kept saying yes to this project.”
Learn more about the cast here.
When does Office Romance premiere?
Fall in love with this rom-com today — Office Romance is now streaming. Watch Lopez and Goldstein on Skip Intro exclusively on Netflix, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
