When I went to see the Celine Song’s “Materialists” with my boyfriend back in June, I wasn’t expecting too much out of the ordinary from this proclaimed rom-com – some charm and snappy quips, but nothing that would leave me contemplating deeply.
When I saw the film, I was surprised by how witty and even touching it ended up being. I will say this bluntly: it is not a romantic comedy. It leans into romantic drama more than anything, with cynical comedy footnoted in certain areas. Sometimes, that does hinder the film from being truly great or embracing a profound message, but I still enjoyed the film’s sharp takes on modern dating.
This film follows a New York City matchmaker named Lucy (Dakota Johnson), who personally meets with clients to discuss their romantic hopes and prospects. As we learn, most of her clients have extremely high, and even problematic, standards. Lucy takes an interest in her client, Sophie L. (Zoe Winters), and her troubled romantic life. Later in the movie, their dynamic develops in intricate ways once personal circumstances take precedent in Lucy’s life. As Lucy, Johnson acts wry and stoic, which can come off as bad acting, but I think it fits the character perfectly.
Lucy herself has an interesting arc, first treating dating as transactional and superficial in terms of standards. When at a previous client’s wedding, she meets a financier named Harry (Pedro Pascal) who exudes opulence and charm from the get-go. Pascal was such a good casting choice because he really sells this role with the right amounts of cunning and glamour.
As they quickly become intrigued with each other, Lucy flirtatiously tells him that she is looking for a wealthy husband, and the two start seeing each other. Their steamy relationship is clearly superficial, but the chemistry between the two is just so good that it eclipses that fact.
Throughout their dates, Lucy starts questioning why a wealthy man such as Harry would pursue her, fixating on his wealth and financial stability. It doesn’t seem to bother her for the most part, but you can see doubt manifesting, especially when bumping into her ex, John (Chris Evans).
We learn about Lucy and John’s past relationship, mainly financial struggles when they first moved to NYC. I honestly wish their relationship had been explored more, rather than just having two brief scenes about it; I think fleshing out the complexities of their relationship could’ve helped with getting a better understanding of their dynamic beyond “they didn’t work out because Lucy was tired of being poor.”
A love triangle forms between Lucy, John, and Harry, but I like that the film doesn’t center around it too much. Instead, it focuses more on Lucy’s character development as she becomes increasingly aware of the possible dangers of dating.
Her cynicism towards people’s lofty, looks-based standards is swiftly replaced with empathy when she learns that Sophie L. was sexually assaulted by a man she set her up with. I like to believe she knew that when it came to matching people, there was a risk of putting a client in harm’s way, but didn’t think it could happen to one of her clients. When it did happen to someone she knew, there was this guilt-ridden realization that somehow the assault could’ve been prevented. This film handles the topic of sexual assault appropriately enough, and I appreciate how the writers didn’t try to sneak jokes or quippy one-liners during these serious scenes.
Lucy becomes disillusioned with the dating sphere, opting to take a step back from her job and reflect on her decisions and current relationship with Harry. Johnson really sells the performance with palpable vulnerability, and we truly see Lucy’s stoic, calculating mask fully removed.
Right before a trip to Iceland, Lucy finds out about a surgery Harry underwent to make him taller, altering her view of him and what he represented to her. She realizes that relationships go beyond checking off the right boxes for the ideal partner – love needs to be present for things to work out. She is then inspired to patch things up with John and to provide comfort to and make amends with Sophie L. when she’s being stalked by the man who assaulted her.
While not hitting the right beats as a rom-com, as a film, I found “Materialists” to be a solid watch. There weren’t really many dull moments besides the ending, and I found this kitschy movie to be charming in its own way. The cinematography is pretty standard: nothing outstanding, but nothing to sneeze at either. I understand why people thought the film didn’t have a strong enough plot to keep viewers interested or was “poor men propaganda” because of Chris Evans’ character, but if you’re like me, who enjoys dry humor with sprinkles of clever commentary, this film might hook you in.
Not necessarily a movie of the summer, but a movie that is perfectly decent on its own. I’d also like to mention that one of my favorite indie bands, Japanese Breakfast, made a song for this film called “Baby (Got Nothing At All)” that you should definitely check out!
7/10
