Directed by Celine Song and starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal in the lead roles, “Materialists” is a great study about the modern state of dating. From the trailers, one might think of it as a different kind of rom-com. But, it’s way more than that.

I would say it’s a hybrid of romance, comedy and satire on modern relationships & dating culture. In fact, I would say that it used comedy to soften the blows of its sharp critique of how we quantify love.

Plot Overview: A Matchmaker Caught Between Fortune and an Ex

The film follows the life of Lucy Mason (Dakota Johnson), a 35-year-old matchmaker at Adore Matchmaking in New York. When she goes to a marriage function of one of her clients, she meets financier Harry Castillo (Pedro Pascal), who takes an interest in her. However, there she also meets her ex-boyfriend, John Pitts (Chris Evans), who is working as a caterer there and is hopeful of getting back together.

The rest of the movie explores how she handles these romantic interests and who she ultimately chooses. But what sets out to be just another rom-com with a slightly different treatment turns out to be a whole different beast. Often, the film surprises you with its sharp critique and handling of materials you don’t expect it to focus on.

Materialists (2025) Dialogues: Exposing the Modern Dating Metrics

When I look back at Materialists, and think what springs out the most ? It’s the super crisp dialogues by Celine Song. You can pretty much divide the movie into three parts: the sharp satire, conversations with the two love interests, and dealing with the more serious issues.

While dialogues contribute to the other two parts, as well, the satire part might have completely fallen apart without them. For example, when Lucy recommends one of her clients, Mark, to another client, Sophie (Zoë Winters) and mentions he is 5’11”, she inquires if he is “actually 5′ 11” or 5’9”, and lying?”. Lucy counters this with, “What’s a couple of inches?”

However, when Lucy shares this conversation with one of her colleagues, she says Sophie is afraid he’s not actually 5’11”. Lucy continues that she was like “Can we not worry about a couple of inches cause you’re about to die alone.” It’s conversations like these that make you feel how people have been reduced to their looks, features, and their fortune today. Additionally, it shows how brutal and cold the modern dating scene has become, all without being preachy.

Materialists (2025) Script and Direction: Where It Works and Where It Doesn’t

Celine Song’s work in the script and direction department is solid as well, but there were some things that didn’t resonate with me, though. The direction is smooth, and you see a highly logical progression of events from start to finish. However, there is a caveman scene both at the start and the end that didn’t work for me, even though many critics praised it.

Philosophically, the addition of that scene makes complete sense. I believe the director wanted to show that no matter how much things change, the need for humans to connect will never change. However, I think both these scenes could have been cut, and it wouldn’t have made much difference, while also resulting in a shorter runtime.

​One scene that I especially loved was the confrontation between Lucy and John in a flashback sequence. In that scene, Lucy gets into a disagreement with John over their car’s parking spot. So, when she gets out of the car and starts shouting at him, you can still hear the honking of cars to a considerable degree. In most films, the background noise would be near zero, so we could hear the actors perfectly. But that’s not the case here. They made sure that we could hear the actors properly while also giving us a touch of reality.

Another thing I loved about Celine’s work is that she didn’t shy away from dealing with the theme of sexual assault. While one could argue that the film didn’t need that trauma dump, I believe that since the film was covering all aspects of the dating scene, it wouldn’t be fair not to cover it. For example, the film portrays the ruthless nature of the dating market, but still conveys how some people choose to follow their heart over a comfortable life.

To pretend that there’s no risk or threats in this line of work won’t be right, and I love that she didn’t back away from it. I also love how the film stresses that matchmaking might seem like “girl shit” to some, but it deals with the most intimate and crucial decisions of people’s lives.

Acting Performances: From Cold Calculations to Heart-Bleeding Vulnerability

In the acting department, the three leads had a tough job in front of them, and they surely delivered. Dakota Johnson gets to display a wide range of emotions, from confidence and street smarts to guilt and happiness. She switches from one side to another seamlessly and has conveyed every emotion with ease.

When you look at her character, you see how cold and calculated she can be. But, you also get to see a side of her that cares for people and still wants to be loved at the end of the day. It is a character that is written quite well and acted by Dakota just the same. Pedro Pascal is known for being a versatile actor, and he proves why that’s the case here.

He looks, acts and dresses the part for a wealthy guy, but I felt he made the most impact when he shared his insecurities. This won’t go down as his best role, as that honor belongs to his role as Maxwell Lord in “Wonder Woman 1984” (2020), in my opinion. Yet, “Materialists” (2025) should go down as a worthy addition to his resume.

As for Chris Evans, he was the standout if you ask me. When you look at him, you root for him, and you want to see him win. He shines best in the emotional scenes, in contrast to Dakota, who does her most incredible work as a ruthless businesswoman who just wants clients for the company she works for.

Chris’ best scene in the film was when his character admits his love for Lucy and his shortcomings, including “trying to be a theater actor because someone told him he was good at it once”. That scene makes your heart bleed for John. You see a guy who has struggled in life, but still never backs down from giving his best, whether in love or in his career.

Seeing that scene took me back to Anders in Oslo, August 31st (2011). If only Anders had John’s spirit! Two similarly aged, talented guys at similar stages in life. One chose to fight while the other withdrew.

As for Chris, there’s something fascinating about seeing him in positive, wholesome roles. Not that he isn’t good as a bad guy, but it just feels right when you see him play these sweet guy roles. And that’s coming from a guy who was Team Iron Man once and took a long while to understand the genius of Chris Evans. 😀  

Final Verdict: Is Materialists (2025) Worth Watching ?

Materialists isn’t your average rom-com. It will entertain, surprise, and leave you with a pretty good feeling, all while quietly holding a mirror to your face. If there are two words I would use to describe this movie, they would be thoughtful and honest.

​However, do note that a lot of the time, the movie will feel like a conversation between brutally honest and intelligent people that you just happen to overhear. So, if you can give it your significant attention, the experience should be pretty rewarding.