Materialists (2025) Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A_kmjtsJ7c

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Love is more clear in the air when you have lower expectations. You don’t think so? Look at Materialists. 


PLOT


The 2025 film follows Lucy Mason, a former actress turned successful matchmaker at Adore in New York. One of her long time clients, Sophie, struggles to lower her standards in an effort to settle. When attending a wedding for one of her other clients, she is approached by the groom’s brother, financier Harry Castillo. She originally rebuffs him and considers having him as a client. At the same time, she reunites with her ex boyfriend John Pitts, a cater-waiter who still pursues acting; They broke up due to differing financial aspirations. Although she enjoys reminiscing with him, Harry still pursues to express genuine interest which leads to an official relationship. This new relationship would make Lucy more optimistic when her client Mark (John Magaro) tells her he had a great date with Sophie, but would be stunned to hear from her boss Violet (Marin Ireland) that he actually assaulted her. Knowing the situation is out of her hands, the latter insists the former to take time off to clear her mind. She goes against the instruction to not see Sophie again, hoping to apologize for what happened, but she rejects it, calling her a pimp for pawning off people’s problems regardless of consequences. Lucy would then plan go to Iceland with Harry, but would be surprised upon realizing he underwent a tribal lengthening surgery. While it doesn’t change her feelings for him, this does lead to her realizing they’re not really in love with each other, thus ending their relationship. With her apartment on sublet due to the trip, she spends time with John and they gatecrash a wedding together. They share a kiss again which leads to them both confused if they should get back together. John assures he’s always loved her and sees a future with her despite not being financially stable the way she wishes, never hating her for feeling that always overshadowed things between them. Before they could part ways, Lucy gets a call from Sophie, panicked upon seeing Mark outside the apartment. With the police not intervening since he hadn’t broken in, Lucy & John rush back to the city only to not see Mark there by the time of their arrival. Lucy reconciles with Sophie as she helps her get a restraining order, promising her she’ll marry the love of her life. Afterwards, John would vow to her he’ll work harder to support their resuming relationship. Sometime later, Lucy would get a call from Violet that Harry has joined Adore and Sophie has resumed dating, also offering her to handle the New York office while she handles another branch. As she contemplates, the film would end with her and John getting their marriage license at a city clerk office after he proposed with a flower ring at Central Park.


THOUGHTS


I was full of anticipation with what was to come from Celine Song following her directorial debut, the Best Picture nominee Past Lives. In her sophomore effort, it goes without saying she did not disappoint. Although this is a romantic drama with a love triangle, there is a much different approach about it. This stands out from past films in the genre because she teaches how true love is bound to be imperfect and it should always overrule calculation otherwise you’ll set yourself in a circle of disappointment if you don’t change your views. Through stunning cinematography by Shabier Kirchner, we’re able to get this message through to us when following a different kind of lead. Dakota Johnson is amazing as Lucy because at the beginning of the story, she lives up to the movie’s name as she has high standards. She sees life and love as a business transaction, prioritizing wealth over emotion in her perspective. While she enjoys setting people up in her line of work, she remains cynical about with each client and slowly is the best way to describe her epiphany it’s not the best way to have any kind of relationship. She basically acts as her own client when she meets Harry and by the time she sees how much of a charming guy Pedro Pascal brings as Harry so genuinely, she slowly gets that mindset out of her. The longer she stayed with him, the more she got to see he had his own insecurities. He did what many men would do in his shoes in terms of heightening to find worthiness for a partner and he truly got that with Lucy, but she couldn’t continue this relationship because she didn’t want to be with someone that was not accepting himself. That was enough for her to understand nothing about what they had was fulfilling no matter how hard they tried. While at the same time settling for the better man, Lucy needed to make amends with someone she unintentionally wronged. She did not mean for Sophie to be assaulted, but knowing how desperate Zoë Winters, she was more focused on doing her job and didn’t look past the assignment. Knowing how she was affected, she knew she had to set things right and the fact she was there needed proved just so. As that got settled, that is what helped her stick with the one that was right the whole time. Chris Evans is great as John because he’s everything Harry isn’t; He's a guy full of integrity as an actor that it holds it back from being more successful, which is why Lucy didn’t want to continue being with him. But the fact he was always genuine and unconditional no matter how much he struggled proved how much of a better choice. As she loves that genuine part of himself, he always loved her because he was moved of her own integrity on wanting to be more successful. If it wasn’t for her keeping in touch, he would’ve not pushed himself to do more than he already knows he can. His moment of confessing how he sees himself growing old with her, it’s a great acting lesson on par to when she breaks up with Harry because both moments express the deep core of how much of a relief it is to be honest without crossing any lines. Both men wanted Lucy and rather than literally/comically fight for it like in Bridget Jones’s Diary, they let their words take action. John & Lucy’s happy ending always pleases me with her accepting a flower ring like the Neanderthal counterpart does in the opening, symbolizing she’s past materialism and is all in with the unconditional. In conclusion, Materialists is an incredible romantic drama for being grounded in its discussion on how love should be perceived. If you want reality planted in your movies, see this now.