‘Materialists’: The sheen of a traditional rom-com but a threesome is entwined in something darker
The curious title of Celine Song’s follow-up to her subtly affecting (and Oscar-nominated) debut, “Past Lives” (2023), is spot-on: Money matters – perhaps too much. Many may frame “Materialists” as a romantic comedy and something of a change-up for Song, but they would be wrong on both takes. It’s got a dark undercurrent with very few “com” moments and is driven by longing, the soul-capturing engine that made “Past Lives” so universal and engaging. That “Materialists” doesn’t succeed as well in that regard, or at all, is another matter entirely.
“Materialists” is filled with long, awkward moments. It’s a Romance 101 must: People hold back, hesitant to expose their true feelings and vulnerabilities – but here the moments don’t work. Part of that is that the characters are slight, not particularly likable and, worse, lack chemistry. Not a good start for a love story.
What “Materialists” does have is star power, scrumptious cinematic framing by Shabier Kirchner, who worked with Song on “Past Lives,” and a heart that gets a defibrillator jolt late in the game. Dakota Johnson plays Lucy, a New York City matchmaker pulling in a paltry 80K. At the wedding of one successfully matched client who has nabbed a unicorn (tall, handsome and a billionaire), Lucy meets the gaze of Harry (Pedro Pascal, “The Last of Us”), the groom’s brother and a unicorn himself but also relegated to the singles table. Lucy, who views weddings as a recruitment opportunity, offers Harry her services, but Harry is intent on Lucy herself, which triggers one of those awkward pauses and an abrupt interruption when Lucy’s ex, John (Chris Evans), a struggling actor working for the Stand & Deliver catering company, plops down their drinks – conversation interruptus. Lucy hasn’t seen John since their implosion in a car in the painful near past, but just like that a love triangle is born.
What ensues is pretty much what you’d expect – a tug-of-war for Lucy’s affections – though it doesn’t feel like much of a contest: Lucy ended things with John because he was always broke, and he still lives with three roommates. His grungy apartment might be the most genuine thing in the film. For much of the rest, you hate-watch how materialistic Lucy is and ooh-and-aah at Harry’s palatial, $12 million penthouse. But there’s a strange dynamic between Harry and Lucy; they never feel like soulmates. Then one of Lucy’s clients (Zoe Winters of “Succession,” fantastic in as small yet pivotal part) has a really bad date and the agency gets into hot water.
That event shakes Lucy (and ostensibly wakes her up to her raw and vapid materialism) and sends intriguing plot ripples through the rest of the film. The basis for “Materialists” comes from Song’s own experience as a matchmaker when living in New York as a struggling playwright, which is perhaps why that angle packs greater authenticity and resonance than the love triangle. Johnson, a strong presence in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Lost Daughter” (2021), captivates here as well and does a convincing job with Lucy’s emotional blooming, giving the hollowness leading to the denouement much-needed moments of human warmth. The three principals feel like they are acting in different films, with different objects of desire in their scopes. This ensemble needs better material.
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