I wholeheartedly reject the label of romantic-comedy for writer/director Celine Song’s (Past Lives) latest, Materialists, for no other reason than the film takes the ideas of relationships and coupling and treats them with a level of seriousness few bother to these days. I would instead call Materialists a relationship drama, which certainly has a number of laughs in it, but that’s only because the practice of professional matchmaking is inherently funny.
Dakota Johnson plays New York City matchmaker Lucy, who has the best record of anyone in her agency at finding the perfect matches for her high-end clients. More importantly, she has a clear understanding of the transactional nature of coupling, especially in a densely populated city where more superficial things like finances and looks factor highly into matching people. She doesn’t judge her clients, and even subscribes to some of these pre-qualifiers when she considers her own romantic prospects. Not long ago, she dated John (Chris Evans), a penniless actor/catering employee; they effectively broke up because he was poor (even though he could apparently afford a car in NYC, which makes no sense). She loved him a great deal and made a decent amount of money herself, but no enough to support them both.
While at the wedding of one of her successful pairings, Lucy meets the groom’s brother Harry (Pedro Pascal), a sickeningly wealthy, suave, and moderately good-looking financier, and the two hit it off; it just so happens that her ex, John, is working at the wedding, and the two reconnect as the reception winds down. Lest you believe that Materialists is about Lucy being put in the unenviable position of being pursued by the two most handsome men in Hollywood, this ain’t that. Lucy knows who she cares deeply about and with whom she’s a perfect match, and those things don’t really conflict in her mind. The real question is, can she overcome her anti-poor prejudices, or is the near-perfect Harry the guy for her? She sometime actively dislikes the way she scientifically deconstructs relationships into a formula. It’s useful on the job but confusing in her personal life.
But Materialists is also about the downside of matchmaking, when one of her clients, Sophie (Zoë Winters), is assaulted on a date Lucy set up. Sophie is initially angry at Lucy and the service she provides (at one point, she calls Lucy a “pimp”), but she’s equally enraged that a good person like her even needs a dating service to find the love of her life. There are other unsettling conversations between Lucy and her boss, Violet (Marin Ireland), about the nature of their business, and how it isn’t their fault when something goes horribly wrong on a date; needless to say, Lucy is not convinced.
The things that separate Materialists from other films about the dating world are these darker corners that filmmaker Song examines. She offers up as non-judgmental a look at this world as possible, but it’s also fairly clear we are meant to be horrified when a man in his mid-40s makes it clear he wouldn’t even consider being matched with a woman approaching 30 years old (he says he relates better to those in their mid-20s), despite saying he’d like to be matched with someone who is more "mature." It seems like an impossible scene for some, and perhaps the film comes to that conclusion as well, but it does the work and looks at the evidence before landing there.
Johnson, Pascal and especially Evans are all remarkably strong here. It’s great seeing Evans step outside his action-oriented comfort zone and try something aligned with his more challenging stage work. Since Song was once a matchmaker in New York for a time, it’s no surprise that Johnson's portrayal of Lucy seems so knowing and authentic. Even when someone’s dating requirements are hyper-specific, she is never discouraged because she believes there is somebody for everybody. And with the sheer number of cozy restaurants and bars these character find themselves in, where they pour their hearts out to each other, Materialists has an undeniable lived-in feel that makes New York seem less cold and inaccessible and more like a place people actually live. This is one of the great films about the modern dating world that I have seen in years.
The film is now playing in theaters.
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