MATERIALISTS

Materialists is an achingly beautiful romantic masterpiece from Celine Song that explores modern dating and the pursuit of love with an honesty through her meaningful and insightful prose, that when paired with incredible performances from Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal and a career best turn from Chris Evans that will break your heart, results in the best romance of the year that will nourish the helpless romantic in every viewer.

Expectations for Celine Song’s sophomore feature were incredibly high, and somehow Song exceeded them. After making her feature film debut by writing and directing the critically acclaimed Past Lives that went on to earn her an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, there was little question that whatever story she decided to tell next was going to be one of great depth and intelligence. And while the marketing will lead you to believe that Materialists is a 1990s esque romantic comedy about Dakota Johnson having to choose between Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, Song has something far more meaningful up her sleeve that can only be desired as the antithesis of the romantic comedy… in the best way imaginable. Instead, Song uses her masterful script to explore modern dating and romance, leading to insightful and philosophical debates on what love truly is, that when brought to life by the outstanding trio of Johnson, Pascal and Evans, is going to give flight to the hopeless romantic in us all.

What is love? It’s a universal notion that everyone subscribes to and believes in, but what truly is it? Is it a mathematical equation in which two individuals find that they are compatible based on their shared likes, desires and aspirations? Is it a business transaction where each of the parties involved is getting a value that they do not have on their own? Or is it an unexplainable mystical force that brings two individuals together with a deep connection that tells them that this is the person they want to spend the rest of this incredible journey called life together. These are the questions that Song ponders in her sophomore film; all set against the modern dating world full of apps and void of human connection.

With the same intellectual and philosophical eye that she brought to romance in Past Lives, Song deconstructs dating and romance in today’s world, highlighting the insincerity in the age of modern dating where people can endlessly keep looking until they find what they perceive to be the perfect match. Utilizing sharp dialogue and captivating discussions, the facades of modern dating begin to crumble as a vulnerable, brave and hopeful romance washes over as Song enacts her end game for Lucy and her two male suitors, reminding viewers that love is not always logical.

Each character is beautifully written, carefully constructed to have a different perspective on love to create an engaging dialogue throughout the film. Johnson’s Lucy, the young matchmaker, is the analytical one, viewing love as a transaction; Pascal’s Harry, the rich man of any woman’s dreams, looking for someone to meet societal expectations and who he sees as a good fit to his lifestyle; and Evan’s John, Lucy’s ex-boyfriend, the hopeless romantic betting against all odds and reason. Through these characters, Song explores what love means through their meaningful conversations as Lucy weighs what she truly wants out of love and who she wants to be, which is only deepened by a professional crisis in Lucy’s job that highlights the blind faith in modern dating that should be more concerning that causes Lucy to re-examine her own relationships. Interjecting some romantic comedy moments into the script that generate some great laughs, nods to some of the romance genre’s most beloved stories like Pride & Prejudice, and one of the most romantic and heartbreaking scenes of any romance this decade, Song delivers one of the year’s most honest, sincere and romantic stories that will leave viewers in tears.

There is no question that Song lays the runway for her cast with her brilliant screenplay, though, her leading trio truly elevates the film to the next level. Johnson is nothing short of magnificent as Lucy, capturing Lucy’s determination and hesitancy to truly open herself to the idea that she is worthy of a great love. There is a lot that Johnson leaves unspoken as Lucy carefully analyzes her relationships with both Harry and John, while her delivery of Song’s dialogue is effortlessly captivating as she has intellectual conversations with Pascal’s Harry about what love means and the more emotionally honest exploration of her past relationship with Evan’s John. Pascal could not be better cast as Harry, the unicorn as Lucy refers to him, with his disarming handsome appearance and elegant chivalry. His chemistry with Johnson is everything that Song’s screenplay desires from the character, ensuring that the notions that love she is trying to portray becomes evident in the film’s latter half. Zoë Winters is brilliant as Lucy’s favourite client Sophie, capturing a vulnerability, emotional distraught and pain in a mere handful of scenes that will haunt viewers as much as it does Lucy. The rest of Lucy’s clients are fun little character bits from an array of actors including Eddie Cahill, Sawyer Spielberg, John Magaro, Halley Feiffer and Madeline Wise to name a few, each playing their brief moment to not only generate some fun laughs but showcase how wrong some individual’s perception of the pursuit of love is in today’s world.

Though, it is Evans who steals the entire film with one of the most swoon worthy performances of the decade so far. As John, Evans finds a hopeless romantic energy with his puppy dog eyes and natural warmth and charisma as he pines for Lucy, without rhyme or reason, holding onto their undeniable connection. It leads to many beautiful moments between him and Johnson, who have deep and moving romantic chemistry on screen, both reflective moments as they think back to their past relationship and navigate the rekindling in the present. But, their chemistry reaches its pinnacle in John’s two big moments in the film’s final act that will both shatter your heart into pieces with his vulnerability and make you believe in true love with Evan’s earnestness in his performance. It truly is a career best performance from Evans, reminding audiences of his immense talents as an actor that we have not seen in his most recent projects.

Beyond the brilliant storytelling from Song and the performances of the cast, Materialists continues its excellent standard on a technical level. The costume and production design is on point, capturing the different social status of its main characters from the overly expensive environment that Harry lives in and his stunning designer wardrobes, the class that Lucy displays with her appearance even though you can’t she is trying to emulate a social class she is not part of, to the rugged and boy next door look and environment of John that evokes his undeniable heart as much as his lack of financial value that he has to offer Lucy. Daniel Pemberton’s musical score is exquisite, capturing the pensive nature of Song’s script and the beauty of each relationship in the film, accompanied by some well placed needle drops and the unforgettable original song “My Baby (Got Nothing At All)” by Japanese Breakfast that closes out the film. The cinematography captures the personal nature of each conversation, somehow making Lucy, John and Harry feel like the only people in the otherwise crowded city of New York in the wide shots and capturing every fleeting moment of love between them. And just in case you forgot that this was an A24 production, the film’s opening scene and one of its final scenes reminds viewers of this and will have those uninitiated to the artistic storytelling of the production company questioning if they are in the right theatre or not.

Firmly cementing herself as one of the most gifted new storytellers with an unparalleled sense of capturing deeply personal and human stories with a sincerity and honesty that leaves viewers thinking about what they just experienced long after they leave the cinema, Celine Song delivers another phenomenal film with Materialists. From the beautiful storytelling that exquisitely deconstructs modern dating and shatters perceptions of finding the perfect person that reminds of what true love actually is, to the incredible performances from her leading stars, Celine Song delivers a new romantic classic that tackles love in the modern age like no other film has done. Dakota Johnson delivers a luminous performance that showcases her talents as an actress unlike any other film has previously done for her that is only strengthened by the ever wonderful Pedro Pascal and expert filmmaking from Celine Song, but when amplified by a career best performance from Chris Evans that electrifies the entire film with a beautiful heartbreak that will leave audiences sobbing, not only is Materialists one of the best films of the year, it is unequivocally the most romantic film of the year that will make audiences believe in true love again!