MATERIALISTS Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Celine Song
Stars: Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, Pablo Pascal, Marin Ireland, Zoe Wilson, Louise Jacobson, Eddie Cahill, John Magaro.
This is the sophomore feature for writer/director Celine Song, who gave us the Oscar nominated romantic drama Past Lives in 2023. Like that film Materialists also explores themes of second chances, regrets, relationships, intimacy, identity, and the importance of connections, all set against the backdrop of a love triangle. Song also explores the transactional nature of love and match making.
The world of modern dating is not easy to navigate. Love is not something that can be found through mathematical formulae or equations; nor can it be found through “ticking all the right boxes” on an anodyne questionnaire. Thus, we meet Lucy (Dakota Johnson, from the Fifty Shades trilogy, etc), a successful matchmaker with the Adore Matchmaking Agency in New York run by Violet (Marin Ireland, from Homeland, etc). Lucy helps lonely people find their perfect partner and she has a good track record. But ironically, she is determined to remain single, and her personal life is a bit of a mess.
When the film opens the agency is celebrating the ninth wedding to eventuate from one of Lucy’s arrangements. At the wedding Lucy is approached by the handsome, urbane and very rich Harry Castillo (Pedro Pascal), a tech founder who is also the brother of the groom. She describes Harry as a “unicorn” because of his wonderful qualities that make him a desirable catch. She also encounters her former boyfriend John (Chris Evans, from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, etc), a struggling actor who also occasionally works catering jobs to supplement his income. They broke up years earlier because of money issues, and she hasn’t seen him for years. Lucy is a little disappointed to learn that he still shares a scuzzy apartment with two roommates who don’t respect each other’s personal space. And he still drives an old car that seems on its last legs.
Lucy moves in with Harry and shares his lavish apartment and his rich lifestyle, but somehow seems unhappy. She seems to miss the chaos of life with John. And then Sophie (Zoe Wilson, a veteran of the theatre scene and tv dramas including Succession, etc), one of Lucy’s clients, informs her boss that Mark (John Magaro), the date that was arranged for her, has been abusive and is stalking her. As a result, Sophie is suing Adore. Lucy undergoes a crisis of confidence and, consumed with self-doubt, she heads off on a road trip with John.
Unlike Song’s Past Lives though Materialists lacks the emotional depth and intelligence of her debut feature. The film is also tonally uneven. It has been billed as a frothy, light romantic comedy, but there are few laughs here, nor are there many witty one-liners. Most of the humour to be found here comes from John’s interaction with his housemates. And the subplot involving Sophie and her stalker adds a darker and more troubling undertone to the material.
Cast largely against type as a romantic lead Evans brings a likeable charm and an emotional vulnerability to his performance, and he is the most relatable of the three central characters. There is good chemistry between him and Johnson that lifts the movie. Johnson’s Lucy comes across as a bit too selfish and aloof and cynical and is not a very likeable character. There is a distinct lack of chemistry between her and Pascal, unfortunately.
The film looks good and has been nicely shot by Song’s regular cinematographer Shabier Kirchner who gives it a glossy looking surface. The production design from Anthony Gasparro (Kinds Of Kindness, etc) is also very good and he creates a vivid contrast between John’s shabby apartment and Harry’s well-appointed and stylishly decorated penthouse apartment.
Materialists is not your typical starry eyed meet cute laugh out loud romantic comedy, but there is undoubtedly an audience for this bittersweet film.
★★☆
