Materialists - Review 

Rating: 4 out of 5

CELINE Song’s follow-up to her excellent Past Lives is billed as a romantic comedy that spins a Hitch-style premise into a contemporary love triangle between three appealing leads.

In reality, it’s something of an anti-romantic comedy that casts a sceptical gaze on the landscape of elite dating and the materialistic nature of modern life.

Hence, the romance doesn’t sizzle and the chemistry is variable. But this feels by design. Song doesn’t so much opt for mushy sentiment; rather lamenting the transactional nature of the modern dating scene.

The story follows New York matchmaker Lucy (Dakota Johnson) as she unexpectedly finds herself deciding between two potential suitors: wealthy eligible bachelor Harry (Pedro Pascal) and her less well-off ex, John (Chris Evans).

Lucy is good at what she does. Her match-making instincts have been responsible for nine marriages thanks to the way she acts as a friend, confidante and therapist to her clients.

For Harry, she seems like the ideal partner: someone to match his intellect, who is comfortable around his wealth and who is just the right kind of beautiful.

John, on the other hand, sees Lucy for the insecure, sometimes self-loathing person that lies beneath the sleek surface. But he also knows that he can’t really ever hope to match her financial aspirations.

And therein lies some of the movie’s central dilemma: no classic ‘who’s the best guy’? Or even the hidden villain! More, who will provide the most satisfying match according to the life Lucy seeks? And how much does love play a factor?

Song’s film may feel a little cold emotionally at times but it certainly raises some valuable insight into the margins that exist in high end dating, or chasing dreams of those dreams are inspired by wealth.

The idea of men paying to have their legs broken in order to pay for multi-thousand dollar medical procedures to add a few inches of extra height may seem absurdly egotistical and narcissistic - but it’s apparently born out of fact.

Likewise, the type of ‘demands’ or non-negotiables that both men and women place on their wish-lists for potential partners.

You’ll certainly identify with Lucy when she lays some harsh truths on one of her clients, whose search for perfection sets some impossible benchmarks.

There’s even a sub-plot in Materialists that takes the film into darker territory, exposing the potential for abuse within the dating system. There is a very real sense of dating in the post #MeToo era and the spectre of the manosphere and its objectification of, and attitude toward, women:

Indeed, there’s a lot to digest in Song’s film which some may feel detracts from its romantic potential.

But that’s not to say it doesn’t satisfy. More, it does something different; asking questions of its audience.

And the three principals provide an easygoing charm that makes them enjoyable to be around. Johnson combines outward confidence with inner insecurity and is an alluring presence; Pascal is inherently decent and always likeable even when struggling with the idea of love, and Evans brings an endearing everyman quality to his struggling wannabe actor, aware of his own limitations yet always aspiring to do the right thing.

This is a trio that brings its own distinct chemistry - not the type you’d be expecting, but one that engages nonetheless.

And it’s always refreshing to find a film that’s willing to take some risks and freshen up the genre, while having something valid to say or put forward on the reality of modern life.

Materialists deserves credit for refusing to wallow in wealth porn. Rather, it asks some relevant questions about whether wealth itself has become the enemy of good old fashioned romance.

You could argue that Materialists is very much a film of its era.

Certificate: 15

Running time: 1hr 57mins