Review: Materialists Is A Lackluster Take On The Difficulties Of Dating In The Modern Age
Materialists is a romantic drama that follows Lucy (Dakota Johnson), a New York City matchmaker, that thinks she has romance all figured out. To her, it’s all about math and checkboxes when it comes to compatablity. Is the person attractive, wealthy, fit, the proper age? If one person checks off enough boxes on someone’s compatibility list then they could be the person’s forever match. The only caveat, love has no factor in the equation. However, Lucy’s ideals are thrown out the window when she attends the wedding of one of her recent successful matches. It is there she comes across her ex, struggling theatre actor, John (Chris Evans), and the brother of one of the groom, Harry (Pedro Pascal). Lucy finds herself attracted to both men, but as the film progresses, Lucy struggles with the idea of whether a lifelong romance is really about the materialistic factor (Harry) or if love (John) is really the key.
Written and directed by Celine Song, this film tries to delve deep into what truly makes a romantic pairing between two people succesful. But the deeper Song dives into this thought process the more she looses her story. At the beginning of the film, viewers understand where Lucy comes from when it comes to dating. She has her expectations, and she refuses to settle. She is very open about this when discussing her dating terms with Harry before they begin their dating venture, but those expectations are completely gone by the time the film ends. The issue is not the expectations being gone, but there being no clear motivation for why Lucy lets go of said expectations. Instead of Song utilizing hard conversations, and pivotal flashbacks to Lucy’s upbringing, to help define the relationship between Lucy and Harry, and the relationship between Lucy and John, she instead has these characters go on longwinded monologues about love, dating, and expectations that never account to anything. There is no real communication had between Lucy and her potential matches. At the end of the day, any romance Lucy finds at the end of the film feels unnatural and unearned.
If there is one thing, Song did get right in this film is the idea of dating being a risk. It’s a dangerous game people play day in and day out to find that one person they believe they are meant to spend the rest of their life with. They put their souls on the line every time they swipe right or approach a stranger in public. Believing that by taking this risk, they might just receive the ultimate payout, a person that they will spend forever with, but also noting the dangers that could potentially lie in wait. Song showcases this struggle beautifully when it comes to the arc involving one of Lucy’s clients, Sophia (Zoe Winters).
Johnson steps in at the film’s leading lady, and her performance was nothing out of the range for the actress. Pascal is as charming as ever as the private equity, and uber rich Harry. Evans steps in as John, and it’s hard to believe him to be a struggling actor, stuck living with roommates at thirty-seven. However, it is the chemistry between the three that is lackluster. Whether it was Johnson and Pascal, or Johnson and Evans, the friendship vibes were off the charts, but the romantic tension barely pinged.
Materialists tries to bring a new perception to the world of romance but gets blinded on its journey. With a lead character that knows her worth, is open about that worth, and refuses to settle, viewers had someone they could relate to. But by the time the credits roll, that journey to finding her happy ending, feels unsatisfying and unearned, which leaves the viewer disappointment.
Grade: C+