'Materialists' Review: Good times never seemed so good
Celine Song follows up her Best Picture nominee debut with a frank depiction of dating in the digital age and delivers a knockout crowdpleaser
Anyone who has ever downloaded any of the plethora of dating apps available to the public is familiar with the concept of “the wall.” For those unfamiliar, when creating a profile, one is asked to provide information about themselves for potential matches to get an idea if they’d like to match with you. Religion, hobbies, politics, opinions, preferences—it’s all up for discussion and to the discretion and honesty of those setting up their wall. Based on other singles in your area’s thoughts on your wall, as well as a little help from our friend Mr. Algorithm, you might just find a date this weekend. However, that’s a big if, especially when users are subjected to the horrors that coincide with finding love in the modern world. There’s hurt feelings, false starts, ghosting, frustration, dishonesty, and abuse, all part of the process of finding that perfect someone.
Celine Song’s excellent romantic comedy Materialists (2025) helps to find common ground with its audience of lovey-dovey idealists by analyzing the intricacies of the environment they’re regularly entrenched in. As younger generations grow old and begin to shift long-term priorities, the pressure mounts to settle down based on societal expectations. In a world where its genre continually offers its audience the same formulas and expectations film after film, Materialists acts as a beacon for those up a creek without a paddle in ascertaining a happy ending. Lesser films are forgotten on the car ride home from the theater, while Song’s wisdom will stand the test of time.
Materialists centers on Lucy (Dakota Johnson), a successful matchmaker at a firm in New York City called Adore that mentors hopeful applicants who are trying to find their other half. While Lucy basks in the glow of nine successful matches at Adore, her own love life is non-existent. She’s voluntarily celibate, nursing the wounds of a previous relationship until she meets financier Harry (Pedro Pascal) at her ninth match’s wedding. Lucy tries to offer her services to Harry, but instead, he’s interested in taking Lucy on a date. She shakes him off at the party, but eventually agrees to get closer to him as a prospective client. This is much to the chagrin of her ex-boyfriend John (Chris Evans), who happens to be at the same wedding as a caterer, though she and John decide to reconnect after seeing each other again. As her affection for Harry and his lavish lifestyle continues to grow, Lucy begins to consider the same questions and aspirations she asks her clients about each day.
The surface level assumption based on the marketing for Materialists is that it’s the same rehashed romantic comedy we’ve seen in many offerings before, especially coming from an auteur whose debut was so hauntingly intimate and personal. However, Song proves her resonance in a mainstream swim lane thanks to her whip-smart observational writing, terrific performances, and sincere aspirations for its subject. Johnson’s performance is discernible and delightful all at once in a role that tests her emotional reflexes on a dime with sincerity at every turn. The same can be said of Pascal and Evans, adding their own unique charismas into the mix and providing strong stakes for all involved. The discussions that Lucy’s able to get into with her clients make for the strongest comedic moments, similar to the way When Harry Met Sally (1989) utilizes interviews with long-term romantic couples, or how Up in the Air (2009) interviews real-life victims of downsizing. At every turn, Materialists finds new ways to maturely tackle complex conversations with sophistication and respect for its audience.
The only minor issue is there’s admittedly a lack of natural progression as Lucy and Harry develop their relationship. There’s no measure for how much time has passed between the two, so when the film reaches a specific turning point in their relationship, the result is out of scope from how far along I thought they actually were. Though this doesn’t have any bearing on the outcome of the film, the pacing is ultimately affected by it, and worth mentioning. This doesn’t stop the film from achieving exactly what it strives to accomplish, however. It’s films like Materialists that ultimately keep a genre alive because it sets the bar for conceptual effort just a little bit higher.
A-
Feature image credit to A24 via IMDB
