In a digital age where love often feels like an algorithm and swiping left or right is more about aesthetics than emotional connection, Materialists Review offers a sharp, soulful interruption. At first glance, you might expect a glossy, feel-good rom-com with beautiful people in dramatic entanglements. After all, Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal caught in a love triangle sounds like something straight out of a streaming service’s most clickable fantasy. But don’t be fooled by the trailer or the glitzy packaging—Materialists, Celine Song’s second feature film after the critically acclaimed Past Lives, is a much deeper affair.
What begins as a chic New York love story soon evolves into a complex, sometimes unsettling examination of how modern relationships are entangled with money, status, and social performance. Celine Song’s signature quiet intensity returns, peeling back the sparkling facade of luxury to ask a pressing question: In a world where everything has a price tag, is romance just another commodity?
Plot Summary: Between Love and Luxury over Materialists Review
Lucy (played with striking precision by Dakota Johnson) is a high-end matchmaker in New York City. Her clients aren’t looking for love—they’re looking for the perfect asset. Height, education, net worth, fitness routines, hairline—everything is curated and quantified. Lucy treats romance like real estate, believing that compatibility can be engineered like a luxury brand experience. And she’s good at it.
But beneath Lucy’s controlled exterior lies the aftermath of a failed relationship with John (Chris Evans), a struggling actor whose idea of a romantic anniversary dinner was a food truck meal. The emotional residue of their breakup hasn’t quite faded, but Lucy has moved on—or at least convinced herself that she has.
Then comes a lavish Manhattan wedding. At the event, Lucy meets Henry (Pedro Pascal), the brother of the groom. He’s rich, composed, and effortlessly charming. Meanwhile, John resurfaces, not as a guest but as a server. In a single evening, Lucy finds herself stuck between two men—one tied to emotional memory and struggle, the other to wealth and seductive ease.
As the story unfolds, Lucy must confront a dilemma many face in the real world: Can you have love without financial stability? And if not, is the pursuit of love even about people anymore—or just about the life they offer?
What Works: The Strengths of Materialists
There’s a lot to admire in Materialists. Celine Song doesn’t just direct a film—she stages a social dissection. With razor-sharp writing, a stylish visual aesthetic, and deep emotional insight, the movie offers a thoughtful and timely take on what it means to date, love, and connect in a hyper-capitalist society.
1. Exceptional Writing and Insight
- Song’s script is rich in nuance, full of quiet ironies and subtext.
- The dialogue is layered—every word seems to sit atop years of emotional history.
- There are moments where conversations crackle with romantic tension, followed immediately by societal critique.
- Materialists questions the very foundation of modern love: is it still about human connection, or have we turned romance into a market-driven fantasy?
2. Strong Performances Across the Board
- Dakota Johnson brings intelligence and depth to Lucy. Gone is her usual ethereal presence—here, she’s fierce, self-aware, and emotionally torn.
- Chris Evans is surprisingly vulnerable. As John, he plays a man whose love is pure but economically powerless—his charm lies in honesty, not heroism.
- Pedro Pascal avoids caricature. While he could easily have become a cookie-cutter rich suitor, Pascal imbues Henry with warmth, thoughtfulness, and genuine interest. He’s not just the guy with the penthouse—he’s also the one who listens.
3. A Refreshing Take on the Rom-Com Format
- Don’t expect grand gestures or musical montages.
- Materialists borrows from romantic comedy aesthetics but flips the tone, replacing sugar with steel.
- It’s funny, but with a bite. Romantic, but only in the most honest, sobering ways.
4. Satire With a Sharp Edge
- The film skewers modern dating with sly humor. Lucy’s clients list requirements like they’re ordering luxury goods.
- One particularly dark twist—when a match turns violent—pulls the film back to reality, reminding us that behind the designer outfits and skyline views lies something unpredictable and real.
Where It Falters: The Compromises and Weaknesses
Even with all its strengths, Materialists isn’t without flaws. Its ambition, while admirable, occasionally works against it.
1. Emotional Payoff Feels Muted
- The film intentionally resists rom-com tropes, but that sometimes comes at the expense of catharsis.
- The love triangle simmers rather than boils, and Lucy’s final decision lacks the grand emotional weight you might expect.
- While we sense where her heart lies, the film chooses subtlety over impact, which may leave some viewers unsatisfied.
2. The Money Critique Gets Softened
- For much of the story, the film explores how deeply money shapes relationships.
- But in the final act, it slightly pulls back, easing the financial tension to allow space for romantic closure.
- This narrative compromise may be deliberate—perhaps a commentary on how no answer is perfect—but it also lessens the intensity that had been building.
Themes: Love, Capitalism, and Choice
At its core, Materialists is not a love story in the traditional sense. It’s a philosophical inquiry dressed as one. Celine Song is more interested in asking questions than answering them, and the film thrives in that ambiguity.
Key Themes Explored:
- Transactional Love: In a world where dating apps allow users to filter partners like search engines, love can start to feel like a business deal.
- Money vs. Emotion: Can passion survive poverty? Can wealth sustain a relationship lacking emotional depth?
- Performance in Relationships: Are we authentic in love, or simply performing the roles we think others want us to play?
- Modern Loneliness: Even when surrounded by people and privilege, true connection remains elusive.
The Verdict: More Than Just a Rom-Com
Materialists isn’t here to make you swoon. It’s here to make you think—and perhaps squirm a little. It holds a mirror up to our collective longing, asking if that longing is truly for love—or for lifestyle.
This is a film that lingers in the mind long after the credits roll. It doesn’t hand you a neatly wrapped resolution. Instead, it invites reflection. What are we really looking for when we seek love? Companionship? Security? Status?
If you go in expecting a fizzy, heartwarming rom-com, you might leave perplexed. But if you’re open to a brutally honest portrait of dating in the modern age—tinged with irony, heartbreak, and stunning elegance—Materialists will reward you.
Final Takeaways:
- Materialists is not your average love story—it’s a sharply observed drama about what it costs to be emotionally vulnerable in a world obsessed with wealth and image.
- The performances are deeply human, with Dakota Johnson leading the charge in one of her most grounded roles to date.
- Celine Song proves again that she is a filmmaker to watch, weaving complexity and wit into stories that go far beyond genre conventions.
- You may not fall in love with the film, but you’ll respect it—and maybe walk away with a few uncomfortable truths about your own desires.