By George & Josh Bate
Few directorial debuts have announced a filmmaker’s talent to the world as resoundingly as Past Lives. Celine Song received widespread acclaim for writing and directing the A24 release, a subdued romantic drama that intimately and thoughtfully examined lost love. The success of Song’s film immediately affirmed that any project her name is attached to will generate great attention, which has made her sophomore effort Materialists one of 2025’s most anticipated films. And although playing out fairly predictably and featuring a rather straightforward central message, Song’s latest mesmerizes with sophisticated filmmaking, magnetic chemistry among its leads, and an undeniable authenticity and heart.
Materialists stars Dakota Johnson as Lucy, a New York City-based matchmaker and seemingly perpetual bachelorette who excels at her job. Lucy conceptualizes the fit of a romantic couple through tangible qualities, such as economic standing, height, and family background. Her view on relationships leads her to be drawn to Harry (Pedro Pascal), a wealthy and handsome businessman who she considers to be a “unicorn” for his outstanding attributes. At the same time, a chance encounter sees Lucy reunite with her ex-boyfriend John (Chris Evans), which triggers a series of events that sees Lucy reevaluate her view on love and relationships.
It is hard to ignore the fact that, at least on the surface, Song’s second film, like her first, is a romantic drama about a love triangle involving a woman and two potential suitors. However, despite their superficial similarities, Materialists and Past Lives are remarkably dissimilar. One of the more captivating elements of Past Lives was how subtle and subdued it was, with fairly minimal dialogue and a lack of overt emotional expression. While this added a feeling of realism, the subdued tone deprived the film of some personality, charm, and chemistry among its leading woman and the two men in her life. In Materialists, Song retains this naturalism of her characters through grounded and authentic dialogue and performances, while simultaneously injecting a humor and spark her previous effort lacked. The result is a more crowd-pleasing venture, one that couples its dramatic weight with an appealing levity and personality.
Further departing from Past Lives and accompanying its more wide-appealing and crowd-pleasing tendencies, Materialists lacks nuance in its messaging. Mere minutes into the film, it becomes fairly easy to forecast exactly what message Song is trying to convey and how the plot will unfold. A myriad of romantic dramas and comedies have centered around a woman with a hardened view of love, who, over the course of a film and in proximity to the right partner, arrives upon a healthier and warmer perspective on relationships. Song seems largely disinterested in subverting expectations regarding this tried-and-tested plot of the romance drama. Instead, the filmmaker seems more focused on producing a polished and moving project within the confines of established genre tropes and rules. In a strange comparison (bear with us), Materialists is to the romance drama genre what Ti West’s X was to the slasher horror genre. With X, West didn’t rewrite the rules of the slasher genre nor do anything particularly novel. However, he crafted an exceptionally well-made slasher, whose sheer quality and sophistication elevated it beyond any qualms one may have with its similarities to other films. Materialists follows X in this regard; the film doesn’t necessarily break new ground, but, as a conventional romantic drama, it is extraordinarily effective and refined. The dialogue is sharp, the cinematography from Shabier Kirchner is beautiful, the performances are strong (as we’ll talk about), and every shot is meticulously constructed.
The core message of the film, albeit simple, also works well and develops naturally. Conversations Dakota Johnson’s Lucy has about love and relationships will raise a number of alarm bells for viewers, as she thinks of relationships as a business exchange and even compares her work as a matchmaker to a mortician or insurance provider. Although one can spot from the get-go the arc Lucy will undergo, seeing her eventually embrace a more wholesome and less mathematical perspective proves heartwarming. The ending, which drags out a bit too long, makes for emotional, even inspiring, viewing and will put a smile on the faces (and maybe even a tear in the eyes) of the most cynical of viewers.
Despite being marketed as a film about a love triangle, Materialists is much better characterized as a film about a lead character whose worldview changes through her relationships with two very different men. As such, how compelling the plot and characters are largely relies on its lead, who is brought to life by an absorbing performance from Dakota Johnson. The Fifty Shades of Grey and Madame Web actress portrays a hardened, materialistic matchmaker with incredible deftness, ensuring that the character never becomes too dislikable or off-putting. Over the course of the film, Johnson brings an honesty and vulnerability to her performance and crafts Lucy into a far more interesting and multi-faceted lead than typically seen in romantic dramas. Nailing the humorous and heartfelt moments, Johnson makes Lucy’s arc feel authentic and believable, which proves critical to how captivating the film is.
Johnson also possesses magnetic chemistry with the two men beside her – Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal. Even with all the other ingredients in place, romance films like this can fall apart if the chemistry is off between its leads, but thankfully this is not the case with Materialists. A testament to the versatility in Johnson’s performance, the actress possesses a decidedly different type of chemistry with Evans than she does with Pascal. Her body language, mannerisms, tone, and words all subtly shift when she interacts with one instead of the other as she connects with the two men in captivating, yet different ways. If there’s a lack of subtlety or nuance with the film’s messaging, the same can’t be said for the performances, especially that of Johnson.
Although Dakota Johnson firmly leads Materialists, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal are also given opportunities to shine. The two juxtapose one another in almost every regard. Evans’ character John is a struggling actor, who lives in a tiny, dirty New York apartment with three roommates while working a job as a caterer. Pascal’s Harry, meanwhile, owns a $12 million penthouse, dresses nice, has a great haircut, and, on paper, has everything one would want from a partner. In an intelligent move, Song resists the temptation to paint one man as a ‘bad guy,’ instead making Lucy’s development over the film less dependent on the quality of the men before her and more about an evolution in her thinking. As a result, Evans and Pascal portray their respective characters charmingly and each add something different to the film. Evans is given more rich material to work with than Pascal and makes the most of it, especially in the final act where his performance proves vital to the emotional beats working as well as they do.
VERDICT: 8/10
Celine Song follows the acclaimed Past Lives with another mesmerizing romantic drama. With more crowd-pleasing sensibilities and personality than her directorial debut, Materialists overcomes a lack of nuance in its messaging and predictability in its plotting through its exceptional and sophisticated depiction of enduring genre themes and tropes. The core message at the heart of the film, albeit simple, is wholesome and converges on a touching conclusion that, while dragged out a bit, will put a smile on the face (and maybe even tears in the eyes) of the most cynical of viewers. Dakota Johnson leads the film with an absorbing, honest, and vulnerable, nailing the humorous and heartfelt moments and making her character’s arc feel authentic and believable. Johnson has different yet similarly magnetic chemistry with both of her male co-stars, who are charming and captivating. With more material at his disposal, Chris Evans in particular shines, especially in a final act where his performance proves vital to the emotional beats working as well as they do. Writer/director Celine Song subverts any potential sophomore slump with a second outing that affirms her place among the most captivating filmmakers working today.