Dakota Johnson

Chris Evans

Pedro Pascal

Zoë Winters

Marin Ireland

Louisa Jacobson

Dasha Nekrasova

Emmy Wheeler

Eddie Cahill

Sawyer Spielberg

Joseph Lee

John Magaro

Nedra Marie Taylor

Sietzka Rose

Halley Feiffer

Madeline Wise

Ian Stuart

Dan Domenech

Emiliano Díez

Rachel Zeiger-Haag

Alison Bartlett

Lindsey Broad

Baby Rose

Fernando Belo

Will Fitz

Beshoy Mehany

Douglas Aibel

Nick Stergiopoulos

Katina Danabassis

Amy Beth Silver

Anthony Gasparro

Molly Mikula

Celine Song

Shabier Kirchner

Pamela Koffler

Christine Vachon

David Hinojosa

Thurman Martin III

Maggie Ambrose

Keith Fraase

Dimitri Kouri

Ben Kahn

Alice Johnson

Yuval Levy

Becca GT

Meghan Currier

Matthew Glasner

Daniel Pemberton

Taylor Shung

Danny Cohen

Len Blavatnik

Andrea Scarso

Timo Argillander

Daniel Timmons

Danielle Kampf

Ryan Billia

Kathleen Brown

Jessica Butanowicz

Courtney Ullrich

Pete Dancy

Kyle Parsons

Zachary Rubino

Andrew Hubbard

Judy Chin

Mandy Bisesti

Courtney Jarrell

Tony Ward

Jon Carter

Michelle Ceglia

Emma Strachman

Claire Deliso

Kat Uhlmansiek

Jesse Getchell

Daniel Cameron

Ryan Balcombe

William Downes

Davide Biello

Brian Walsh

Adelle Achar

Mauricio Calderón

Ignacio Sanchez

Roberto Ortiz

Enrique Ojeda

Luis Eduardo Ambriz Martinez

Josh Berger

Joanna Fang

Blake Collins

Aaron Becker

Li-Yu Chen

Sam Okell

Sofia Coppola

Brady Corbet

Halina Reijn

Romance

Drama

Materialists

Killer Films

IPR.VC

Access Entertainment

United States of America

Finland

English

new york city

love triangle

wedding

class differences

ex-boyfriend ex-girlfriend relationship

woman director

sexual assault

philosophical

matchmaker

romantic

ambivalent

amused

sincere

Definitely not a Rom-Com. (And that's a good thing.)

-

Some false advertising with this one. 

There's romance, yes. There are a few laughs, yes. This, however, is not a romantic comedy.

What it is is a two-hour philosophical journey on the themes of self-worth, value, and materialism through the lens of three very flawed characters. 

As a cynic, I appreciated that. With such beautiful principal actors it would be very easy to gin up a 90's or 00's type of rom-com, but this was exceedingly more thoughtful and interesting. 

If I have any complaint at all, it's the ending, which (IMHO) did not fit with the overall theme of the story and a little forced. 

But still, very good. 9/10 stars.

Manuel São Bento

Celine Song's Materialists is a stunningly mature, emotionally intelligent romantic drama, one that redefines the very concept of modern love without falling into the usual pitfalls of the genre. Anchored by three outstanding performances, Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal share extraordinary chemistry that feels raw, layered, and heartbreakingly authentic. Song's screenplay dissects with surgical precision the transactional nature of today's dating world, where intangible values like affection and vulnerability often struggle against the ever-growing checklist of material, social, and political boxes. Money, body image, height, political leanings - even something as seemingly trivial as the texture of one's hair - are thoughtfully explored as factors that, in theory, should dictate compatibility. But through intimate silences, aching glances, and conversations that pierce right through the soul, Song reminds us that love, in all its flawed, inexplicable glory, cannot be quantified.

Technically, Materialists is a masterclass in restraint. There's barely a musical score to be found, allowing every silence, every breath, and every hesitant word to carry the full weight of the characters' feelings. The cinematography makes the bold, unconventional choice to focus on the listener rather than the speaker, granting the audience rare insight into the unsaid, the reactions that words alone can't convey. Lingering shots in moments of silence exude not only tension but a rare, electric chemistry between the characters. The film crafts its emotional crescendo without a single moment of forced dramatization, making the eventual choices of Johnson's character feel entirely organic. Song bravely avoids providing easy answers: there's no judgment, no clear winner in the love triangle. Whether one follows love with all its imperfections, as in the Dakota-Evans connection, or chooses the materially perfect partner lacking in emotional spark, as represented by Pascal's character, Materialists argues that either path is valid - and equally human.

If there's one area where Song perhaps leans too heavily, it's in the recurring client interviews of Johnson's character, which, while often sharp and humorous, begin to border on repetitive. The thematic point about society's shallow dating expectations lands early on, and a couple of these scenes feel like they're spelling out what the rest of the movie has already conveyed so gracefully. But this minor excess does little to detract from the overall impact. Materialists stands as one of the finest romantic dramas in recent memory, brilliantly avoiding the traps of cliché and formula. It's a profoundly insightful exploration of why we fall in love, and how that choice - no matter how irrational, imperfect, or impractical - might be the truest thing about us.

Rating: A-

What is going on with Hollywood?

Hollywood HDR is a fudging cancer. It means "destroy the image completely, turn off all the lights, and present the audience with moving shadows."

Yet another movie that cannot be watched, because it's so insanely dark.

Zero stars. Not a movie.

CinemaSerf

Given that so much of modern-day dating goes on online between people who have never met, nor ever intend to meet, the person they are courting, I had hoped this would deliver a more brutal critique of an industry that is predicated on shallowness, fickleness and downright lying, but it just didn’t do it for me. “Lucy” (Dakota Johnson) is the $80,000-a-year matchmaker whose job it is is to dress in over-sixes suits and to tick and reconcile as many boxes from each of her clients as she can then hope that when they do actually sit down in front of each other, they don’t take their fork to their own, or their date’s, eyes! She’s quite successful, indeed it is at the weeding for her ninth couple, that she tries to drum up business from those singles and divorcées impressed by her skills. She’s overheard by the brother of the groom (Pedro Pascal) who elicits from her that all she actually wants for herself is a man who has more money than God. He qualifies, but reckons she isn’t so venal and so embarks on a courtship ritual that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Jane Austin meets Julia Child story. Meantime, “Sophie” (Zoe Withers) is one of her clients who has a shocking experience and that proves unsettling for the hitherto uber-confident “Lucy” who might actually start to look at herself in the mirror and perhaps, just perhaps, not like what she sees. As if that wedding wasn’t momentous enough for the gal, she also runs onto her ex (Chris Evans) who’s a budding actor, a cater-waiter, and clearly still burns a candle for her. He hasn’t two pennies to rub together though, so what chance he can ever engage with her again? Whom will she choose? Whom (if anyone) will want to choose her? Why should we care? I’m afraid that I just didn’t. There are occasional moments of humour here, but for the most part it’s a rather toothless attempt to analyse the vacuousness of a business that could have been satirically analysed far more effectively if we hadn’t just been subsumed into an uninteresting melodrama with loads of foie gras, fine wine and a fairly torturous effort to add six inches… Pascal is classy and does enough and Evans can always get away with the boy-next-door look, but it all just reminded me of a soap. There’s far too much dialogue and nowhere near enough substance, and what looked promising at the start just fizzled into blandness fairly swiftly. Why is it that when people are fabulously wealthy, they buy such uncomfortable looking couches and never seem to have a television?

Shinichi

Contains minor hinted spoilers, read at your own risk.

Dakota and Chris did the best they could to save the movie, it's an average movie but the case of Sophie seemed more like a plot device to move the story forwards with very little (only verbal) substance, i would have loved to see Sophie's story transpiring not only through dialogue but through action. That could have been a focal point to set the events into the next directions

But overall, it was a good movie. The ending felt a bit rushed a bit and left ambiguous

Word on The Street Review

In Cinemas Now

Matchmaker Cast Review

Materialists is Certified Fresh

Now Playing In Cinemas

Coke & Beer Tickets

Diamonds

Day In The Life

Bending Genres

The Perfect Match

Love triangles never looked so good

Materialists is "a rom-com for a new generation” (Elle UK)

Camera Test

This is Lucy: smart, stylish, and one hell of a matchmaker.

A match made in movie heaven at the UK Gala Screening of Materialists

Would You Rather

He's a Ten

Love is Easy

Delusional

John

Hardest Match

You're formally invited to fall in love with Materialists 💌 Only in UK cinemas in ONE WEEK

Materialists( 2025)

Some people just want more.

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A review by rssp55

Written by rssp55 on Fri Jun 13 2025

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