Filmmaker Celine Song’s acclaimed and award-winning 2023 writing and directing debut “Past Lives” was a unique and original take on modern love. It invited viewers on an unforgettable journey through memory and heartbreak.
Song’s second feature as writer and director, “Materialists” (A24), is also a love story, although one with a more cynical tone. Lucy (Dakota Johnson, and her resting blah face) is a failed actress whose true talents lie in matchmaking. Eons away from Yente of “Fiddler On the Roof” fame, Lucy is resigned to remaining single in the years since her devastating breakup with actor/cater-waiter John (Chris Evans). Instead, she channels her energy into finding love for others, including the difficult Sophie (Zoe Winters).
When Lucy attends the wedding of one of her success stories, she meets Harry (Pedro Pascal), the brother of the groom. Initially, she treats their interactions as a business opportunity to find him a mate. Nonetheless, Harry has something else in mind. Complicating matters is the appearance of John, who has been hired to work as a server at the wedding. It’s obvious when they see each other that, despite the way their five-year relationship ended, they still have feelings for each other.
There’s the rub. Harry, who comes from a financially stable family, works in private equity and owns a $12 million apartment high above Manhattan. John pays $850 a month for the apartment he shares with other roommates, while doing off-off-Broadway theater between catering jobs. Harry begins to seriously woo Lucy, and against her better judgment, she goes with the flashy flow, embracing her inner materialist.
Of course, complications abound. Even as Lucy finds herself falling for Harry, she still harbors feelings for John. She also begins to see the cracks in the matchmaking façade, exacerbated by Sophie’s assault at the hands of one of the men with whom Lucy matched her.
Song includes nods to queerness in “Materialists,” such as the conservative, Black, Christian, lesbian seeking Lucy’s matchmaking services, a same-gender couple dancing together at a wedding reception, and the “Silence=Death” t-shirt worn by John. However, I couldn’t help but think how much more interesting the movie would have been if the main characters were queer. In other words, “Materialists” unintentionally does more for the argument for homosexuality and the cause of gay marriage than you might imagine.
Rating: B-
