Directed by: Celine Song
Written by: Celine Song
Run Time: 1 hour 57 mins

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Sophomore films can be a lot like second dates: eagerly anticipated and more extravagant, while still keen to impress – especially if the first effort already went so well. And with Celine Song’s thoughtful and critically-acclaimed debut, Past Lives (2023) making such a good first impression for the Korean-Canadian writer-director, her follow-up, Materialists arrives with this same sense of expectation, but also, potential aplenty.

Her second feature, like her first, is set in New York City and follows high-end matchmaker Lucy (Dakota Johnson) who, while attending the wedding of one of her clients, meets millionaire Harry (Pedro Pascal). She subsequently offers him her services, knowing that he would be a popular match for many of her clients, but eventually ends up dating him herself. However, after bumping into her ex-boyfriend John (Chris Evans) at the same wedding, a precarious love triangle begins to take shape.

Song creates a fascinating world for her film to unfold in, as Lucy’s job in the luxury dating scene is equal parts intriguing and amusing. The takedowns of modern matchmaking come thick and fast with her clients’ demanding and increasingly ridiculous lists of non-negotiables. From height and income, to pet preferences and taste in movies, nothing is off the table when it comes to her clients’ requests. These humorous montages establish the film’s stance on how overcomplicated dating has become in the modern world, astutely showcasing the wealth of unrealistic expectations that people hold for any new potential partner.

This plays out in stark contrast to the bizarre and unconvincing prologue that opens the film, depicting the very first people to ever get married. As would be expected it’s a much simpler arrangement, however it’s still transactional – something that Song explores further in the main film. She presents Lucy as a woman who wants to gain something from a marriage, it’s not just about love. Her non-negotiables are money, money and more money. Admirably, it’s an honest take from Song, one that will be sure to ruffle feathers, but it does represent an attitude still held by many today. Although, while Lucy’s business-minded approach to romance is an engaging, albeit controversial viewpoint, it doesn’t lend itself too well when it comes to the film’s more romantic aspects.

As Harry, Pedro Pascal plays what’s known by Lucy’s dating agency as a “unicorn,” a complete package, a ten out of ten, a ticks all the boxes kind of guy. So while his casting makes perfect sense, what doesn’t is the dialogue written for his scenes with Johnson. As the pair get to know each other, their dates play out more like business meetings than romantic encounters. Of course there’s a point to all this, but what Song seems to forget is that people simply don’t talk like this. At times – one late night kitchen conversation in particular – she even starts to encroach on self-parody, not quite finding the balance between satire and reality that she’s seemingly aiming for. Instead, she lands in this awkward area leaving audiences unsure of whether or not to take things seriously.

Johnson’s scenes with Chris Evan’s John, a struggling theatre actor who just so happens to be Harry’s opposite in almost every regard, are at least less surface level, but similarly lack conviction. Even with their deeper connection and more detailed personal history – at least compared to that of Lucy and Harry’s – Materialists still struggles to make their relationship plausible. The film works far better as a cutting social commentary on dating rather than a romantic drama in its own right, because when it pushes Lucy into the same arena its already taken aim at, it’s not persuasive enough to prove the point it’s trying to make. Ok, so love has to be on the table too – but where is it in the screenplay?

It’s not enough for characters to simply state their love for each other, sure they believe it, but do audiences? As when the often very accomplished central trio have to contest this much with their dialogue, it doesn’t fill viewers with the necessary confidence to buy the unconditional love Song is selling. And by the time she circles back once more to the caveman couple from her clunky, misjudged prologue, it all feels a little too on the nose. As for championing a less complicated, more naturalistic approach to love and dating, Materialists feels just about as hollow and manufactured as they come.

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Star Rating: ★ ★

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