A top shelf matchmaker named Lucy (played by Dakota Johnson) is at the wedding of one of her clients. While sitting at “the singles table,” Lucy meets Harry (Pedro Pascal), a well-to-do financial magnate, who seems like a perfect recruit for her affluent clientele. Harry is more interested in dating Lucy herself, however, and the two finally start entertaining the idea. Meanwhile, she keeps running into her ex-boyfriend John (Chris Evans), a struggling actor who relies on serving and catering gigs to barely scrape by in New York City. Conditioned by her industry to view people as scientific data (physical traits, ideologies, wealth, etc.), as opposed to nuanced human beings, Lucy knows she should be falling in love with Harry but, in reality, she realizes she’s selling herself short, despite the optics that she’s actually getting ahead.
As she did with PAST LIVES, Celine Song pens and directs yet another all-timer in the romantic drama genre. While it lacks the same level of emotional gut punch as her debut, MATERIALISTS still strikes right to the core of human psychology and love language. We are witnessing the birth of a great storyteller right before our eyes. Just as John Hughes became known for writing can’t-miss comedies in the 1980’s, Song is now 2-for-2 with incredibly smart, insightful and impactful romantic dramas 40 years later.
It’s great to see Johnson in a role with depth, stakes and range. Additionally, it’s great to see her in a high-quality project like an A24 offering and performing with other top notch actors like Evans and Pascal. The chemistry was palpable and there’s electricity when any combination of the three share the screen.
The script is great, the performances are great and the emotional impact is great. Maybe more impressively, Song cements herself as a must-see filmmaker despite another low-budget, simple premise. MATERIALISTS will take you on a tour of perspectives and leave you with a gift of reflection. A symptom of great art is when you find yourself examining your own life because of it and you will leave the theater doing just that.
One of the best films of the year so far.
JKG SCORE: 8.0
Untitled Film Project 