Materialists is a movie that’s met its moment. A moment when the gender wars are in full swing, dating’s harder than ever, and men and women are obsessed with the idea that men below a certain height have no hope of ever being loved. It was directed by Celine Song, whose debut Past Lives was one of my favorite films of 2023. She again shows an adept eye for the complexities of romantic relationships, as well as gorgeous photography of New York City.
Materialists isn’t on the level of Past Lives, as it’s too narratively choppy. But I liked the way it refreshed some familiar themes. It also represents a welcome comeback for a trio of stars—Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evan—who are talented but have recently made some terrible role choices. Johnson, in particular, is a much more talented performer than she’s usually given credit for, and shows that again here.
It may look like a traditional romantic comedy and love triangle, and it’s occasionally funny, but Materialists leans much further into drama. I also like that it isn’t trying to be Sex and the City—its style and attitude are very different.
New York City matchmakers, in both the popular imagination and on a couple of current reality shows, are older Jewish ladies. But in the world of Materialists, the matchmaking service is staffed entirely by attractive young women who look, talk, and act like Dasha Nekrasova (one of whom is played by Dasha Nekrasova).
Its star matchmaker is Lucy (Johnson), who ably serves her picky and often unreasonable clients but is unlucky in love herself. An early moment when she talks a nervous bride off the ledge is familiar, although its punchline is very different from every other time we’ve seen that trope.
Lucy soon finds herself between two suitors: Harry (Pascal), a wealthy private equity titan with a penthouse apartment, fine taste in suits and restaurants, and seemingly no flaws to speak of. The other is John (Evans), Lucy’s long-ago ex-boyfriend, a waiter and struggling actor who Lucy dumped because he was always broke.
For its first half, the film is hard-edged and cynical about dating and romance, showing us a world where New York City singles are shallow and superficial, and women are just as obsessed with men’s height as they are with their looks or bank accounts, while the men aren’t crowning themselves in glory either.
I also appreciated that, unlike most content about the gender wars on places like TikTok, Materialists isn’t invested in blaming men or women alone for shallowness or other perfidy. I also found it fascinating that when it presents Pascal’s character as a private equity guy, that’s meant to read as “rich,” and not as “greedy and evil,” the way most Hollywood movies would depict that profession.
As for Evans’ character, he lives a lifestyle—crappy New York City apartment, shared with roommates, where every moment is filled with the abject fear that a visiting female might be put off by a dwelling of such filth—that strongly resembles the one I lived when I was 22. Evans’ character, though, is 37. Still, I’d imagine a guy who looks like Chris Evans would do fine with the ladies, even if he had no money.
However, there’s tonal whiplash in places, and I didn’t like the subplot in which a client (Zoe Winters) is assaulted, and its main effect on the plot is the cause a crisis of professional confidence for her matchmaker. Winters, who played Logan’s mistress in the later seasons of Succession, is outstanding in the role.
As for height: everything about the plot would make a lot more sense if Harry were played by an actor taller than Pedro Pascal, and John were played by someone shorter than Chris Evans. If listed heights are to be believed, Evans is taller than Pascal. I mostly liked Materialists, a movie that made me thankful that I’ve been married for almost 20 years and that dating in NYC is something I’ll never have to do again.