The Materialists – A Lens into Love and Human Connection in the Modern Age

After the incredible success of her directorial debut with 2023’s Past Lives, the next project from Celine Song was no doubt going to have high expectations. While the two films are starkly different, it’s hard not to speak about the impact of Past Lives and how it left audiences with an ache in their chest and a longing for human connection. Song’s second feature The Materialists does a brilliant job depicting raw, honest, and oftentimes, the pain that comes with dating and modern love.

The promotion of The Materialists felt like an exciting revival of the rom-com genre. We saw Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal front the marketing with fun photoshoots, interviews that highlighted the amazing chemistry between the three of them, and even a voiceover trailer released a month prior to the premiere, reminiscent of the 90s and 2000s rom-com trailers of the time. And though she does play into the nature of the genre with some great one liners and scenes that are sure to make you laugh, the story is more of a profile on the realities of modern dating and difficulties in finding authentic relationships, rather than the love triangle teased during the promotion. 

Set in the romantic backdrop of New York City, the story follows certified matchmaker, Lucy (Dakota Johnson) as she helps women around the city find their perfect match. Having facilitated nine successful marriages, Lucy is invited to attend the wedding of her most recent success story, where she meets Harry (Pedro Pascal); an affluent and charming man who also so happens to be the brother of the groom. He is immediately smitten and intrigued at the prospect of Lucy and the work she does, and offers her a drink – of which she asks for a Coke and beer. A caterer at the wedding immediately places both drinks down on the table without hesitation, and we quickly learn that it is John (Chris Evans), Lucy’s ex boyfriend of 5 years, and a broke and struggling actor barely getting by, by catering at events. 

Being shot in 35mm film adds an element of romanticism to the movie; it feels real and tangible to the audience, with beautiful shots that emulate the look and feel of the city and the people living in it. A very welcomed change in comparison to the over satured and sensationalised cringey rom-coms that are being pumped out onto streaming services every other day.

Song also does an exceptional job at giving audiences an insight to the two relationships through the different camera shots. Every shot through each of the intimate moments between the couples allow us to feel like we are standing across from them, watching the interaction unfold. We’re constantly faced with shots of either Lucy and John, or Lucy and Harry, across from one another, both in frame. From the audience’s perspective, being sat across two people speaking so deeply about their emotions, makes you feel like you’re there and shouldn’t be listening, but in true human nature you can’t help but want to watch. Not only do we get to see the dynamic between the characters through this filming choice, but we get to see the chemistry between the actors in being able to build relationships on screen that feel so true.

Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans are also fantastic in the film. Lucy’s struggles in her career and love life feel relatable to the pressures women experience in this harrowing age of needing to feel accomplished and valued, especially in this current climate where success can’t help but be measured by these facets, particularly with social media creating a pressure to be perfect. Harry’s charm is undeniable, and I don’t think anyone else could play a man referred to as the “perfect man” and a “unicorn” better than Pedro Pascal. Playing the doting ex boyfriend John, Chris Evans put everything into the character. You felt him ache every time he was around Lucy. The first hug at the wedding felt painful for him; when he sees Lucy dancing with Harry your heart breaks for him; and every time he looked at her, he lingered a little too long, and he knew it. Even after losing her, his pull towards her was so undeniable and he was willing to do and drop anything to be around her. This was a great cast with undeniable chemistry, who all knew the roles they needed to portray in bringing this film to life.

The one aspect of the film that does fall short is that it felt a little fast paced. With the amount the story wanted to tell, through the romance between Lucy and Harry, a long lost love with Lucy and John, and a focus on Lucy’s career and the tumultuous events that happened after  Lucy matched a long time client, Sophie (Zöe Winters) with a man who assaulted her on a date, we just didn’t have enough time with each of these stories to fully feel satisfied with any of the conclusions. The promise of a love triangle from the marketing felt misleading, and saw almost very little interaction between Lucy, Harry, and John as a trio; What we know from the three leads is the surface level information, essentially what we could gauge if they were on dating apps; And the reality of what happened to Sophie is something that can happen to so many women on these apps, and could’ve had more time to be fleshed out. But as a sophomore film, it was still impactful and emotional, but could have been perfect if there was more time to develop these characters and their stories.

The Materialists is an analysis on the world of modern dating in what can be said to be a shallow society – no thanks to the abundance of options dating apps provide. In an effort to tick boxes, whether that be height, weight, career, age, through an almost satirical lens the story highlights the ridiculous ways that people unintentionally neglect understanding the person behind the stats and how they focus more on the materialistic aspects a person can add to their lives to make them feel valuable. But importantly, it also tells the story of persistent and easy love, and what it means to let go of bourgeois needs in an effort to feel loved and valued. The film is a great step into bringing back the rom-com genre on the big screen, and only proves there is an appetite for more.