Materialists Review
Rom-coms are back… Or are they? Director Celine Song had a tremendous breakthrough with the vulnerable Past Lives in 2023, which only raised expectations for her follow-up film. Materialists commits more to the “love triangle” theme than its predecessor, yet suspends any realistic aspects. Whether this is a poke at the romantic genre or simply out of touch is debatable.
Lucy (Dakota Johnson) works as a matchmaker, a job that Song herself briefly held — but a career path not documented much in a world driven by dating app algorithms. Her mission is to help others find love, not to find it herself. At least, until she catches the attention of Harry (Pedro Pascal) at a wedding. However, without viewers getting the chance to see a comfortable progression of their connection, an immediate fork is placed in the road. John (Chris Evans) is her ex, who happens to be working as a waiter at the event. He swoops in with the controversial Coke and beer combo on a silver platter.
Character-wise, he raises a lot of questions and feels the most out-of-touch of the bunch. Sure, a struggling creative isn’t uncommon. John lives with several gross roommates he despises, and is stuck in a cycle of youthful behaviour well into his thirties. Why not move to another apartment within your budget? The trio is never particularly exciting or convincing, but Pascal arguably shines the brightest of the cast. He settles into the role of a busy businessman with a short-lived secret, and doesn’t suffer from any out-of-place flashbacks. We see just one John and Lucy, and then it is never mentioned again. There is little insight provided into what drew them to each other in the first place.
Materialists also suffers from an abrupt shift, after Lucy tries to set up Sophie (Zoë Winters) with a man she felt would be a perfect fit for her. The film’s second half finds Lucy reeling from shocking news, doubting her abilities, and trying to reconcile with Sophie to offer moral support. Exploring their dynamic could have even been an ending that felt more believable than what actually occurred. With Song listing some personal all-time love triangles like Broadcast News and The Age of Innocence on her inspiration board for Materialists, the film fell short of those expectations.
Lucy sacrifices her long-held dealbreakers to reconnect with her ex, a decision that feels awkward and rushed. The film struggles to decide whether it wants to exist in a dream state, where love rules all, or the real world. As a character, Lucy feels like she reverts and loses the sense of self-guiding power she had worked so hard to build. Even when Lucy and John have an argument that threatens to unravel their whirlwind romance, it is quickly patched up and skipped over. A real Broadcast News influence, for example, would have led Lucy to end up with neither John nor Harry, but leaving in the back of a taxi cab.
If you’re a hopeless romantic, you’ll likely be thrilled with the fairytale reunion and John’s speeches about kids. Cynics, however, might just leave grossed out by the whole affair. Despite the issues with Materialists, Song does her best to analyse the ins and outs of modern dating, and partially succeeds.
★★★
In UK cinemas on August 15th (In US cinemas now and on demand July 22nd) / Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, Zoë Winters / Dir: Celine Song / A24, Sony Pictures International / 15
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