Materialists (2025) is written & directed by Celine Song. It stars Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, Zoe Winters, Dasha Nekrasova, Emmy Wheeler, Louisa Jacobson, Eddie Cahill, Sawyer Spielberg, Joseph Lee, John Magaro, and Nedra Marie Taylor. The film follows Lucy (Johnson), a cynical NYC matchmaker who finds herself in an unexpected love triangle after meeting her seemingly ideal partner in the wealthy and successful Harry (Pascal), which is quickly followed by the return of her caring, but broke, ex-boyfriend, John (Evans). Emotionally torn over which relationship to pursue, Lucy begins to question her abilities as a matchmaker, including her deeply held beliefs about the nature of love and attraction. Forced to choose between the person who’s everything she’s always wanted and the person whom she truly loves, she quickly realizes that in the context of something that can’t be explained (like love), ‘experts’ are nothing but an illusion. 

Because this is primarily a character-focused film, it relies heavily on its 3 central performances. I’ve been hard on Dakota Johnson in the past, often highlighting her emotionless delivery and general lack of range. This performance doesn’t exactly put those opinions to rest, but it does prove that when given a role that supports her typical schtick, she’s able to hold her own against A-listers. 

Pedro Pascal is good as always, but the script fails to provide his character with any moments that allow him to shine as a performer. He’s calm, cool, and collected, and stays that way throughout the entire film. He’s boring, and maybe that’s precisely the point the film is trying to make, but if that’s the case, it contradicts the many attempts to make us care, like, and empathize with the character. I’m glad Pedro is present, but his casting feels like a missed opportunity. 

The standout of the three leads is easily Chris Evans as Lucy’s ex-boyfriend, John. This is his best, most nuanced performance since his tenure as Captain America in the MCU. His naturally loose, ‘cool guy’ attitude allows us to believe his status as a financially unstable slacker, even though any half-competent modeling agency would probably hire the guy on the spot. That being said, his good looks and generally sweet attitude are what allow us to fully believe that Lucy would fall in love with someone of such low status.

One of the script’s biggest strengths is that it seems to have equal affinity for each of its three lead characters. Despite their flaws, they’re ultimately presented as good people trying and often failing to understand love in a society that frequently treats dating like a business transaction. The film reminds us that our material standards for potential partners only serve to snuff out genuine human connection before it has the opportunity to grow. We’re often our own worst enemies when it comes to finding love, having turned it into a capitalistic game of trying to sell ourselves. Thus, we change things about ourselves to attract others until we reach a point where we’re only selling a kind of illusion. Yes, love is something to be valued above most things in life, but we still overvalue it to absurd extents—going so far as to claim that without love, life isn’t worth living. This causes people to do crazy, ridiculous things, such as altering their behavior or appearance solely for the sake of others. Who we are personality-wise is all that truly matters when finding love, but that’s unfortunately not what our society tells us.

The film serves as a pertinent examination of how profoundly our transactional society has shaped our perspective on love, which is arguably the one aspect of life that capitalism shouldn’t influence. It’s scary and tragic, but also a hopeful reminder that being honest about who you are will always be the best path to finding true love.

Overall, Materialists works as another original, relevant, and emotionally insightful romance from writer-director Celine Song. Compared to her first film, Past Lives (2023), Materialists is a much more formulaic experience (especially in its final third). Still, it’s easy to forgive when considering the script’s many hyper-specific insights into the current nature of dating. It’s not quite a modern classic, but at the very least, Celine Song proves yet again to be Hollywood’s most exciting observer of modern-day love. B