MATERIALISTS – Who Will Match the Matchmaker?

MATERIALISTS is directed by Celine Song. The film stars Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans.

Lucy is a matchmaker working in New York City, responsible for creating several relationships and marriages. At a wedding, she meets the handsome, wealthy, and successful Harry, but also encounters her struggling actor ex-boyfriend John. Before long, the matchmaker finds himself in a love triangle, struggling to decide which man life would be best with, while continuing to face the challenges her job brings.

Celine Song made a mark on the film world a few years ago with PAST LIVES, her directorial debut. Needless to say, all eyes have been on Song, with audiences and critics eager to see what she’d unleash on the world next. MATERIALISTS, her sophomore effort, creates an interesting love triangle and a multi-faceted female lead. At times the script is laugh-out-loud funny, and the movie is surprisingly profound. Unfortunately, it tries to go to darker places, resulting in some tonal inconsistencies that are a detriment rather than a benefit to the final product.

Dakota Johnson gives one of her best performances as the lead in MATERIALISTS. Song knows how to write women well, and Johnson finds that happy balance between making a character that’s equal parts lovable and detestable (she literally tells a character she broke up with him due to lack of money in one scene of the film, no joke). Seeing the matchmaker pursue her own match is quite entertaining. In the case of this film, she’s split between wealthy and successful Harry (Pedro Pascal) and struggling ex-boyfriend actor John (Chris Evans). Pascal seems to basically be in every new movie that comes out these days, but if he does this good in each of them, I have no problem with that. They’re both great, but make no mistake; this is Johnson’s film first and foremost.

Like every other movie ever made, MATERIALISTS is set in New York City, and the atmosphere of the movie is quite solid. There are many laugh-worthy moments; the screenplay at times is razor sharp and witty, bringing these characters to life excellently. Scenes of dating service clients stating their ridiculously high standards for a partner had me laughing harder than any other film of 2025 so far. Actors and actresses are only as good as the screenplay and the atmosphere will let them be, and for the most part, Song’s sophomore film succeeds here.

The problem with MATERIALISTS, however, is that the screenplay goes into darker territory, and this derails the film and makes it tonally inconsistent. There’s a subplot regarding a sexual assault of a client that feels horribly out of place in what starts out as a quirky romantic comedy/drama. A relationship in the movie ends abruptly with the other partner never appearing again the entire film. The ending doesn’t feel earned. 2/3 of MATERIALISTS is Oscar material. But the darker elements do the film no favors. When a movie goes form laugh-out-loud romantic partner demands to sexual assault and the way it negatively impacts someone, it feels like something that should’ve been two different films.

It’s good to see Celine Song isn’t a one-film wonder. MATERIALISTS makes some frustrating missteps, even if the overall film is still good despite a few questionable narrative suggestions. It’s worth seeing, but wait for the home release.