Written & Directed By Celine Song; Starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, Zoë Winters, Marin Ireland, and Louisa Jacobson.
Materialists follows Lucy (Dakota Johnson), a young, ambitious matchmaker in New York City who finds herself torn between the perfect match, Harry (Pedro Pascal), and her imperfect ex, John (Chris Evans). This is the second feature film from writer/director Celine Song, who previously gave us Past Lives. When I first saw that movie upon its release in 2023, I was blown away by the uniqueness of her voice. It was not only among my favorites of that year, but it also went on to receive Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.
When it comes to filmmakers following-up on their widely acclaimed debut, they can go in one of two directions. They can either evolve a great deal by delivering something worthy or immediately lose their touch by delivering something disappointing. Thankfully for Celine Song, it’s the former as her unique voice doesn’t feel missing at all in Materialists. As director, she creates such elegant visuals that effectively help tell the story in certain scenes. She also keeps the pace together nicely along with editor Keith Fraase. The musical score by Daniel Pemberton perfectly reflects the mood. As writer, she gives us very enriching characters who all feel very real.
Given Song’s playwriting background, that must be a helpful tool to her in crafting stories with small casts. Just as she did in Past Lives, she primarily keeps the focus on three main characters. Each of them have their own opportunities to shine. On the surface, Dakota Johnson’s performance appears to be subdued. Yet underneath, there’s many more layers for her to work with, and she really pulls them off. Pedro Pascal is very charismatic in his role. Although Chris Evans gives what has to be the most compelling work I’ve ever seen from him. Of the supporting cast, Zoë Roberts is the standout with her heartbreaking portrayal of one of Lucy’s clients, Sophie.
Happy to report that Celine Song is no one-hit wonder. She not only crafts such a poignant love story once again, but does so from a completely different perspective from Past Lives. There’s some wonderful humor that’s well delivered throughout the film. Yet the emotions remain to be very deeply felt. I’m intrigued to see how her career will continue. The summer season may be a time when millions are off to see all these big movies. Although smaller titles like Materialists are absolutely still worth seeking out in theaters.
Rating: 4.5/5
Materialists follows Lucy (Dakota Johnson), a young, ambitious matchmaker in New York City who finds herself torn between the perfect match, Harry (Pedro Pascal), and her imperfect ex, John (Chris Evans). This is the second feature film from writer/director Celine Song, who previously gave us Past Lives. When I first saw that movie upon its release in 2023, I was blown away by the uniqueness of her voice. It was not only among my favorites of that year, but it also went on to receive Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.
When it comes to filmmakers following-up on their widely acclaimed debut, they can go in one of two directions. They can either evolve a great deal by delivering something worthy or immediately lose their touch by delivering something disappointing. Thankfully for Celine Song, it’s the former as her unique voice doesn’t feel missing at all in Materialists. As director, she creates such elegant visuals that effectively help tell the story in certain scenes. She also keeps the pace together nicely along with editor Keith Fraase. The musical score by Daniel Pemberton perfectly reflects the mood. As writer, she gives us very enriching characters who all feel very real.
Given Song’s playwriting background, that must be a helpful tool to her in crafting stories with small casts. Just as she did in Past Lives, she primarily keeps the focus on three main characters. Each of them have their own opportunities to shine. On the surface, Dakota Johnson’s performance appears to be subdued. Yet underneath, there’s many more layers for her to work with, and she really pulls them off. Pedro Pascal is very charismatic in his role. Although Chris Evans gives what has to be the most compelling work I’ve ever seen from him. Of the supporting cast, Zoë Roberts is the standout with her heartbreaking portrayal of one of Lucy’s clients, Sophie.
Happy to report that Celine Song is no one-hit wonder. She not only crafts such a poignant love story once again, but does so from a completely different perspective from Past Lives. There’s some wonderful humor that’s well delivered throughout the film. Yet the emotions remain to be very deeply felt. I’m intrigued to see how her career will continue. The summer season may be a time when millions are off to see all these big movies. Although smaller titles like Materialists are absolutely still worth seeking out in theaters.
Rating: 4.5/5