Materialists

When I heard that Celine Song was going to direct a rom-com, I was actually pretty excited. Song did have a pretty strong debut with her Best Picture nominated film, Past Lives, after all. So I firmly believed that Song would be able to elevate the romantic comedy genre in an interesting and insightful way. Unfortunately, Materialists is nowhere near as insightful or as impactful as Past Lives was. 

It’s still good. Song’s directorial style does give the film a unique identity of its own. One that is far more mature than most other rom-coms. But  Song’s distinctive flair isn’t enough to keep the story from being disappointingly predictable. And that story is as follows: 

Lucy is a young New York City matchmaker whose lucrative business gets complicated when she finds herself torn between her perfect match and her imperfect ex.

Based on that synopsis alone, who do you think Lucy ends up with? I’m willing to bet that I know who you think it is, because that’s how predictable this story is. 

Lucy starts the film as being rather cold and shallow, which makes it easy to tell that she’s going to end the film as someone who is more warm and caring. Because that’s how arcs work. And that kind of predictability made it hard to enjoy the movie’s more interesting and introspective moments. 

Lucy’s ex-boyfriend, John, is a struggling actor who has been down-on-his-luck for the past 10 years. Meanwhile, her new boyfriend, Harry, is rich, handsome, and basically has every quality that she’s looking for in a man. And both of these characters are absolutely fascinating. Especially since they don’t exhibit any traits that one may associate with their traditional archetypes. So it was fascinating to watch Lucy interact with these two characters, because they both had interesting views on life and on love. 

But while the characters did help in making Materialists feel less like your conventional rom-com, the story didn’t really do anything interesting with these characters. Sure, they all have a fascinating dynamic with each other, but that dynamic doesn’t change how frustratingly predictable the narrative is. 

I never believed that Lucy would end up with the guy who “checked all of her boxes,” because the guy she openly admits to being her soulmate is still in the picture. But love, in the real world, is not binary. It’s complicated. Far more complicated than any equation that anyone can come up with. So, I think the movie would’ve been more interesting if it showed Lucy’s decision to be a bit more complex. I don’t know if that would have made for a narratively satisfying experience, but it could’ve allowed the story to feel a bit more nuanced. 

Because, at the end of the day, what is this movie trying to tell me? That I should marry the person I love? No, duh! I know that! Who doesn’t know that?? So who is this movie even for? People who just want to watch a trio of swoon-worthy stars? They don’t even get to do anything particularly sexy. Yeah, sorry to break the news to anyone who was looking forward to watching a three-way between Pedro Pascal, Chris Evans, and Dakota Johnson, but this is not that kind of movie. 

Thankfully, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans still do a really great job of playing their respective characters. It’s just unfortunate that they both happen to be working circles around Dakota Johnson when she’s the one playing the main character. Don’t get me wrong, Johnson does some really solid work as Lucy - probably delivering one of the best performances of her entire career - but I definitely think that she was outshined by both of her co-stars here. They’re both so effortlessly charming; I don’t think this movie would be half as compelling if it weren’t for the both of them.

But the movie is still compelling. It’s still far more interesting than a lot of other romantic comedies that have been released over the years. It still offers a mature exploration into the nature of modern relationships. I just take issue with how predictable the narrative feels when compared to the more complex and nuanced story that is presented in Past Lives. 

So I give props to Materialists for not being another generic and disposable romantic comedy, I just wish it resonated with me a bit more. The best part of the movie, in my opinion, was a scene that involved a secondary character named Sophie. The scene perfectly illustrated how complicated life can really be, and it didn’t even have anything to do with Lucy’s relationship drama. It is an unexpectedly powerful, emotional, and thematically rich scene. But it stands out because the rest of the movie is so painfully predictable. 

Still, I can’t deny that this is a mature, delightful, and charming little movie. It may not be as good as Celine Song’s previous film, but it is still pretty good in its own right. And that’s exactly why, even in spite of my issues with it, Materialists would still get a recommendation from me.