The Materialists: A Movie
I saw The Materialists today at the cinema where Dakota Johnson (Lucy) is a professional matchmaker that works for a high-end agency in New York City. She is snazzy and good at her game. Her agency awards her with a cake to congratulate her for matching nine couples that made it to the altar.
This movie gives the audience a window into a little-known world for everyday working people. Most of her clients are rich or at least wealthy and they fill out an order like a menu stating their preferences in a mate. They specify the age, race, income bracket, height and other details and they obviously pay a high price. Lucy continually sets up dates until there is either a match or the disgruntled client quits the agency and ends the search.
But then, Lucy has her own life. As she sits at the singles table at one of the lucky weddings, she is approached by Harry (Pedro Pascal) and he does not back down. He is not only rich, but he was born rich and works in finance. He is in hot pursuit of her as he wines and dines her at several fancy restaurants.
She finally ends up in his $12 million penthouse and gets a taste of what her clients’ lives are like on a daily basis. While she is out on one date, her ex-boyfriend John (Chris Evans) , a struggling actor, happens to be the server. It is quite obvious that whatever they had is not entirely over.
The Materialists is listed as a rom-com (romantic comedy), but there is no comedy in the plot. Actually, there are a few subplots that I will not give away here. It starts off great, but somewhere along the way, the plot falls flat. There are no real sparks flying between the couples and due to the lack of chemistry, it makes the story hard to believe. There is a great premise but the lack of plot development makes it fall into a thin, flat line.
In the beginning of the movie, Lucy’s outfits were sharp, but later she wears a couple of wigs that look like they were wet. She looks desperate and forlorn. And, interestingly, she chain smokes which is rarely seen in 2025 films. Many things went wrong with this production, but it was good to see how the wealthy dine in NYC as compared to those who simply enjoy a hot lunch from a parked food truck.
Lucy has a choice to make. Will she go on her dream trip to Iceland with rich Harry or will she stay behind and work things out with actor John? I will not tell. Check it out and see!
Lynn M.
June 21, 2025
