What is love
Everyone’s perfect match is out there somewhere but can it be found by the use of a specific formula or is finding it something less quantifiable, this is the main question Materialists poses and attempts to answer.
Celine Song (of the superb Past Lives fame) directs a dream cast of Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal in this funny, at times, romantic drama. To call it a rom-com would not be accurate as Song tries to do more with the narrative than simply that – not that there’s anything wrong with a rom-com but Materialist has bigger ambitions.
Dakota Johnson plays Lucy, a professional upmarket New York matchmaker who has success using her formula or “math” to bring couples together despite her customers’ lists of unrealistic non-negotiables, her male clients wanting beautiful twenty year olds and her female clients wanting a six foot tall, six figure income type.
At a wedding of one of her successful matches she meets Harry (Pedro Pascal) who is, in terms of her professions’ terminology, a ‘Unicorn’, physically perfect and rich. At the wedding also is John (Chris Evans) Lucy’s ex boyfriend who is a poor struggling actor making an income as a catering company waiter. Lucy tries to recruit Harry as a new client and Harry attempts to woo Lucy who he has fallen for. Lucy has vowed that her next relationship would only be someone who is rich and accepts the attention of Harry, but what of her feelings for John.
Materialists is more than a simple story of competing love interests, it also addresses the much darker side of dating, trying to find love and human beings.
Johnson is excellent in the main role as Lucy, expertly bringing together the look for this role and the skills for the greater ambition of the narrative. Pascal and Evans are also very good as Lucy’s suitors. Zoe Winters is additionally outstanding as Sophie, a client of Lucy.
Don’t be fooled by the advertising, Materialists is not a rom-com, it has larger aspirations and it is a worthy attempt to fulfill those goals.
Reviewed by Rob McKinnon
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