Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers!
“Dating is hard, love is easy”
Celine Song’s Materialists is inspired by Song’s brief experience as a matchmaker, a past life that she thoroughly enjoyed too much that she had to step away to concentrate on her professional pursuit in the film industry. Having consumed many interviews on the making of the film (Modern Love being one of my favourites), I eventually find myself sitting in an intimate cinema around three Fridays ago, anticipating how the story would unfold (spoiler alert, I kind of knew how it was going to play out because I read the story on Wikipedia – calms my pre-movie anxiety…). With the knowledge that Materialists reflects Song’s experience with people describing the reasons as to why they love someone (“the language that we have for talking our partner for life, does not align with what is actually like to fall in love”), I walked into Materialists with curiosity on how the story will encapsulate the message. Moreover, having enjoyed Past Lives (2023), I had a feeling this would be another movie that I would observe while falling in love with the silent moments and metaphorical dialogues supported by the setting and costuming.
The film predominantly centres on Lucy Manson (Dakota Johnson), a successful matchmaker who is on a mission to sift through possible matches for her client after an unsuccessful blind date. Her success is rooted in fulfilling the check-boxes of her clients – lists that are considered surface level and appearance or financial-based. A list that is somewhat similar to swiping left and right very quickly on apps, added with instant gratification and the faux conception of abundance – it’s not surprising to see Lucy slowly becoming jaded and cynical towards the hardships of dating despite yearning for a relationship herself. Granted, given her past life as an unsuccessful actress and being a child of divorced parents, it was understandable that she too, wants to find a romantic partner that has the ‘materialistic’ qualities: a good home, an income that allows financial independence with the occasional indulgence.
Still from Materialists (2025), Celine Song
Enters two possible candidates: Harry Castillo - a wealthy, conventionally attractive bachelor (Pedro Pascal) and her former love, John (Chris Evans), a struggling theatre actor who does catering on the side to make ends meet. Metaphorically, each man serves as opposing plates of the tipping scales, a battle between the head and the heart that presents the best prospect of a romantic partner. The audience can see Lucy marvel at a sense of security and care from Harry’s upper-class background while being each other’s transactional convenience. Meanwhile, through more intimate environments or window frames under whimsical lighting, John peels back Lucy’s vulnerability.
Unlike the outcome of Past Lives, Materialist’s ending takes on the classic romantic trope ending (think: Notebook), which I understand hasn’t been a popular outcome for the audience. Having said, knowing that Materialist reflects on Song’s experience with matchmaking and opinion on love – perhaps that level of optimism is what we need sometimes. Sure, Materialists is set in a modern dating world with a level of realism – however, a little bit of fantasy (I see you Lomography art lens!) and hopefulness can be forgiven, especially if this film is to be a love story.
Still from Materialists (2025), Celine Song
There could have been a third choice – which was Lucy choosing no one, although I’d argue she was already living the life she wants on her own. The audience are not privy to Lucy’s entire life, but I am confident that Lucy has carved a life on her own at the aftermath of her relationship with John. With financial struggles being the core reason for her and John’s failed relationship, it hardened Lucy’s armour and cynicism and resolve to live the life that she wants for herself – one that we see at her character introduction.
Nonetheless, there are still some faults in the film that I found quite jarring. The opening and ending sequences of the prehistoric couple will still give me moments of perplexity. The resolution of Lucy’s client’s traumatic event felt like a brush underneath the carpet of a larger issue (arguably, it can be a commentary on how there needs to be better action taken). Despite the sometimes-odd timing of scene transitions and problem-solving of subplots (which I think could have been eliminated), I still think about Materialists often.
Maybe because I am hopeful, or maybe because it’s the fantasy that has me mesmerised. Or maybe, just maybe, Materialists is about trying to give in to love. For “you may be in front of somebody who is perfect for you in every way but you feel nothing, and you might be in front of somebody who is imperfect in every way and you feel everything… love is surrendering”.
Related works: Past Lives: Chasing Closure through the lenses of what if’s in nostalgia
Images and information sourced from:
A24, “Materialists | Official Trailer HD | A24”. YouTube. Published accessed 18 March 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A_kmjtsJ7c&ab_channel=A24
IMDb, “Materialists (2025) Photos - IMDb” , IMDb, accessed 23 August 2025, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30253473/mediaindex/?ref_=mv_close