Movie Review: Materialists (2025)
A rom-com that has more on its mind.
Materialists is further proof that writer-director Celine Song is one of the most unique & exciting new faces in Hollywood filmmaking through her second successful job at taking what may seem like a simple concept on paper & blossoming it into a completely new beast that is powerful, complex, and captivating all in one.
First of all, I have to talk about Celine Song’s thoughtful approach to the screenplay for this film. Centering on a matchmaker named Lucy (played by Dakota Johnson) being caught between two men (played by Chris Evans & Pedro Pascal), Materialists may seem like a movie that we have all seen before from a conceptual standpoint, but Song takes familiar beats, themes, and character archetypes that have been utilized multiple times & takes advantage of them to create something that is far from a typical rom-com. While love is a part of the story, the movie (wisely) chooses to be more about self-esteem from the perspective of Lucy, somebody who doesn’t really view love in a typical sense. She is the type of person who doesn’t see herself as worthy of love despite working as a matchmaker (a job where she helps people find their perfect match), which all changes once she gets thrusted into a love triangle that revolves around her ex and a rich man who she views as the perfect guy for her. From there, the movie (much like Past Lives) throws in many surprises that set itself apart from other romance films: showcasing how love can come at a price, exploring the darker side of said part of life, having a concluding message that does not necessarily tie into love but instead leans towards how you are worthy of doing anything, and lovingly presenting characters that feel like real people with their own flaws/insecurities. There is a ton of nuance in how the writing for Materialists depicts its characters and its portrayal of dating in our current modern setting, which makes for some of the most fresh and potent storytelling that this year has to offer.
This level of smart storytelling is not only evident in Celine Song’s writing, but in her direction as well. The subtle yet intricate approach to directing for Past Lives is completely intact here and even works its own magic in many ways. Tonally, Materialists is one of those films that will have you swooning and laughing at one moment, but then creating massive emotional gut punches that hit you hard in the feels and a huge part of it comes from Song’s direction. Her love for this story is evident in how she makes every scene feel as down-to-earth and pensive as possible without resorting much into cheesy fluff that a lot of other romantic comedies fall into. You can also clearly tell that she has a deep amount of love for these characters through how she allows for them all to feel like real people that have their own problems going on without making them come off as cheap or over-the-top caricatures. Along with how she handles the movie’s tone, Song’s approach to visual presentation is filled with as many smart choices/details that were shown in Past Lives but still finding its own cinematic language. The calmness of the movie’s atmosphere & soundscape, where she puts the characters within the frame, the lowkey yet spectacular editing (along with help from editor Keith Fraase), and gorgeous color palette (with some striking cinematography by Shabier Kirchner) really allows you to see how the visual medium of film can tell the story even when a character is not saying anything, making for a ton of attention to detail that helps amplify the storytelling in various aspects.
The last element of Materialists that I will talk about is the cast, which is one of the best ensembles of this year. While I initially wasn’t the biggest fan of Dakota Johnson back then, this and Cha Cha Real Smooth have proven to me that she has legitimate acting chops and can carry a movie on her own. I can see how people may be turn off by her dry line deliveries here, but what separates that aspect of her acting here (and Cha Cha Real Smooth) compared to a movie like Madame Web is the fact that she takes advantage of that to create a character that feels like an actual person rather than coming off like a traditional movie character. Also, she does a wonderful job in bringing the needed emotional weight & likability throughout the entire film, thus making you truly connect with her as a protagonist. Then, there is Pedro Pascal, who does a terrific job in portraying Harry, a guy who may seem like a standard, charming rich guy (which he does play extremely well), but eventually revealing his true colors through how he expresses his vulnerabilities as a person. Another actor who pulls this off very well is Chris Evans as John, who gives one of the best performances of his career. Unlike Harry (a character Lucy doesn’t know very well), John is a character who really values the love he once shared with Lucy because of how he views love from what’s inside despite being poor, and Evans portrays this character brilliantly with the same amount of charming charisma that Pascal has mixed in with the same type of uncertainties (possibly even more than Harry’s) that John has as a person, making for a meaty performance and one where Evans hits the mark on everything that is needed from him. Other strong players in the cast include Zoe Winters, Marin Ireland, and Louisa Jacobson (the last of which being a memorable one-scene wonder during the first act of the film).
Bottom line, I am struggling to find any problem that I had with Materialists and will be a big favorite for me this year. It continues Celine Song’s exciting career with another home run where she shows once again that she has the ability to take numerous tropes & ideas that have been done before and shaping them into a new, original creation with just as much love, care, & thought put into it as Past Lives, making for one of the best films of the year.
Materialists is out in theaters now!
That is it for the review! I hope you all enjoyed reading it and please let me know if you plan on seeing this film! See you all next time! Later!
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This film is so great that it’s going to take me way longer to articulate my thoughts. Great review!!!!