“Office Romance” is the latest dime-a-dozen romantic comedy to come down the streaming pipeline. It’s also among the more inconsistent ones as director Ol Parker struggles to make something worthwhile out of its many romcom clichés and misguided swings. Jennifer Lopez puts in the work and ultimately makes the film tolerable. But she can only carry so much of the load. And she can’t make the movie’s numerous uninspired choices make sense.

Lopez plays Jackie Cruz, the hardened CEO of a major airline AirCruz. The business was founded by her father Jack (Edward James Olmos) who still pops up every so often. But it’s Jackie who turned the fledgling business into a massively successful company. It hasn’t been easy, especially with a constantly critical board breathing down her neck. For that reason, Jackie has created an intimidating and almost unapproachable presence at work, intensely focusing on the job rather than making any real human connections.

After her ruthless hotshot attorney Peter (Bradley Whitford) chokes on a burrito and is hospitalized, Jackie hands over the day-to-day operations of AirCruz’s legal department to the company’s number-two attorney, Daniel Blanchflower (Brett Goldstein). He’s sharp, savvy, and handsome (a romcom prerequisite) but a bit oafish once he meets Jackie for the first time. A mutual attraction is evident, but any sparks are instantly quenched by an embarrassingly dumb gag – one of many that plague this movie.

Despite her company’s strict “no fraternizing” policy, a forbidden romance blooms, putting both Jackie and Daniel in precarious professional positions. I won’t spoil where things go from there, but it isn’t too hard to figure out. That’s because “Office Romance” follows the very same blueprint that so many others do. (1) Two good-looking people unexpectedly fall in love. (2) An eventual conflict threatens it all. (3) They overcome it to have their ‘Happily Ever After” moment.

While the predictability is one issue, it’s the lack of romantic chemistry that is far more glaring. The script (co-written by Goldstein and Joe Kelly) doesn’t put the time into building anything resembling an authentic central relationship. Instead it wastes too much energy on humor that simply doesn’t land. The attempts at raunchy comedy are especially cringe-inducing and often feel as though they belong in an entirely different movie.

The supporting characters don’t fare well either. Olmos isn’t given enough to do. Betty Gilpin is trapped inside a one-dimensional and tiresome comic relief role. Jodie Whittaker is wasted as Daniel’s foulmouthed incarcerated sister. And there is a smattering of generic office workers who do little more than fill up space in certain scenes. That leaves it all up to Lopez and Goldstein who sadly don’t have nearly enough good material to make this romcom misfire worth a watch.

VERDICT – 2 STARS