Film Review: Materialists

Rating:   ★★⯪☆☆ (2.5 stars)

Summary

Genre: Romantic Comedy
UK Release Date: 15th August 2025
Directed by: Celine Song
Film Duration: 1 hour 57 minutes
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, Chris Evans
Content Warnings: Sexual Assault (Off-Screen)
Keywords: Honest, Human, Off-Beat

Review

After the success of Passengers (2023), many were eagerly awaiting Celine Song’s most recent film Materialists (2025) to hit cinemas earlier this month; but did the film live up to expectations? Well, yes and no. The plot of Materialists was one of transparency about the materialism surrounding dating in the 21st century. Through following protagonist Lucy (Dakota Johnson), a New-York matchmaker, the audience gains an honest insight into what qualities are desirable in the dating market that her career revolves around. 

The plot is not a particularly nuanced story but the first act does shed light on inter-class dating (a romantic relationship between individuals from different financial backgrounds). These conversations are striking due to how openly communicative the characters having them are. Additionally Lucy, while finding love for her clients, is also traversing her own romances. Many viewers were drawn to this film by the casting choice of Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans as as Lucy’s choice in love interest.

Harry (Pedro Pascal) is a wealthy bachelor looking to find his future wife, and John (Chris Evans) is a struggling actor, and Lucy’s ex boyfriend. It was interesting to see how the film pitted these two characters, both strongly representing different social classes, against each other. What I fear is meant to come across as outspokenly honest is actually perceived as classist and belittling. That is not to say the film doesn’t highlight some important features of class movement and building your own career from the bottom up, in terms of Lucy’s character, but to put so much weight on the importance of money to be happy and content is slightly tone-deaf. 

The film does however show the strength of women. The matchmaking company Lucy works for is portrayed as a sisterhood of women helping other women to find love. We are first introduced to Lucy’s workforce while they are celebrating her achievement of her ninth couple getting married. Later, Lucy and her colleague talk about new potential matches and the way they describe men, as if they are just a collection of material assets, is the way that men have talked about women for years. At the end of the film, when Lucy’s boss leaves the company to work in the London branch, Lucy is given the opportunity of a promotion, upholding the strong career woman theme. 

The second and third acts of the film are where the plot trajectory lost me slightly. Most definitively in one poor choice, to have sexual assault be an off-screen side plot that does not usefully elevate the story of the main character, nor is dealt with respectively.

Lucy’s most mentioned client Sophie (Zoe Winters) is reportedly assaulted on her date with another of the matchmaking company’s clients. When Lucy talks to her boss about the incident, she is told that this is a risk that the clients sign up for. While this is a deeply unfortunate reality of too many women, it should not be represented as a ‘risk of dating’; since it is the fault of men. Inclusion of this side plot aside, the fact that this film is advertised as a romantic comedy is reminiscent of the misleading advertising of It Ends With Us (2024) as a fun summer film, instead of a domestic violence story.

This all being said, if you go to watch Masterlists (2025), knowing what the plot includes with the correct content warnings, some of the ideas explored make for an interesting watch. And undoubtedly Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans make for a very visually enjoyable viewing. 

Standout Quote or Moment:   The callback to Pedro Pascal’s leg surgery.
Watch If:   You’ve been on one too many tinder dates recently.
Similar Films: 500 Days of Summer (Marc Webb, 2009), It Ends With Us (Justin Baldoni, 2024)
Lasting Impression:   An honest insight into the materialism of dating.

Written by Hazel Earthy