June 16, 2025 · Watch the official trailer
“Materialists” is not a romantic comedy.
It's true that there are some funny moments in the film and it is a richly, deeply romantic movie, but very little, if anything about writer-director Celine Song’s sophomore feature could even be remotely considered a rom-com in the traditional sense.
It's a catfish of a premise that finds Dakota Johnson's matchmaker character Lucy stuck in the middle of a love triangle between a rich new beau portrayed by Pedro Pascal versus her down on his luck ex played by Chris Evans.
Yet the premise is more a stage for Song to discreetly and subversively critique modern dating and the priorities we claim to want in a partner versus what actually attracts us in romance.
“Materialists” is unabashedly, unapologetic about its skepticism and often downright cynicism as it relates to the purity of intentions by seemingly good people in dating.
In fact, Johnson's Lucy is a largely unlikable protagonist with an overwhelming need to view relationships as transactional to the point where Song has Lucy describe herself as more of a mortician or insurance actuary that only cares about tangible, reductive traits like height, weight, or financial status rather than a person's humanity.
“Materialists,” invariably without fail, especially in its first act, says the quiet things out loud with regards to the haves and have nots in a modern dating world and audiences unprepared to confront their own biases in this world will likely find themselves at odds to the point of outright disgust over the premise of Song’s subversive arguments.
Key in making this film both effective and affective in its narrative are the trio of lead actors who each bring something distinct but necessary to the table for Song’s bittersweet, melancholy tale of sliding doors.
It's hard for audiences to get behind Johnson as Lucy, not for the talented actress’s on-screen abilities, but rather the abrupt cutting ways in which Lucy approaches the world and the subtleties in which Lucy's worldview shifts between scenes opposites Harry versus John are minute but distinctive.
The businesslike affectation that she brings to scenes with Pascal reinforce the notion that Lucy is hiding her true identity in order to successfully make her way in the world romantically, both as a financial and emotional means of security and has this strange yet intriguing relation to her time in the “Fifty Shades of Gray” film series that saw Johnson play a naive ingenue to a distant yet suave absurdly rich businessman.
Conversely, Johnson's ability to turn on a dime and throw Lucy's rationality out the window in interactions with John are meant to evoke how love makes one feel and act more spontaneously and truer to one's authentic self.
Pascal has this aura about him throughout that seems very close, but just out of reach as Harry, a man comfortable at ease in his own skin yet with subtle insecurities that reflect in minor nuanced affectations that perfectly foreshadow hidden details about Harry’s past.
Evans, for the most part, is effortlessly falling into what could be easily viewed as the masculine version of cinema's “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” motif, a seemingly ethereal, impossibly upright, and charming man whose only flaw is his limited economic means.
The earnestness to which Evans’ John allows audiences to clearly understand why things did not work out between John and Lucy yet there's just enough hints of a romantic chemistry between the pair that suggest why their love might supersede rational thought.
Song is a very exacting, thoughtful director with her Oscar nominated debut feature, “Past Lives,” reflecting the careful intentionality behind each frame in her cinematic choices.
Her ability to create ethereal lingering moments within her films, combined with alluring and seductive cinematography, and location choices create an environment in which both actor and audience can reflect on the subtleties in critique that she layers throughout her screenplay while not disengaging audiences from the moment.
“Materialists” is an often frustrating, upsetting film to take in due to the bold aggressive ways in which it challenges audience expectations and cinephiles would be best served to head into the theater with as little preconceived notions about the film as possible.
Those willing to take the film at face value should find “Materialists” to be an exceptionally smart, poignant dramedy that combines careful examination of the real world with the right amount of cinematic charm and something well worth seeking out in theaters.
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