FILM REVIEW
MATERIALISTS
Rated R
116 Minutes
Released June 13th
Materialists is a story about relationships and commitments underscored by a question of depth. The tendency to make judgements about people based on physical attractiveness and financial status is age-old and has not just materialized on social media. Here, “Lucy,” played convincingly by Dakota Johnson, is a high-level professional matchmaker in upscale Manhattan. Her task is to recruit single men and women, assess the best possibilities for relationship success among them, and set them up on dates. Success is a wedding at the end, and she has developed her trade into an almost mechanical science.
The atmosphere at Lucy’s office, the Adore Matchmaking Agency, is absolutely realistic, with the team of all women high achievers screaming like they’re at a football game every time a successful match is made. I worked for several years in a similar ultra-competitive environment at a Los Angeles executive recruiting firm – managers would ring a bell when a placement was made, and cheers would go out through the entire office. Writer/Director Celine Song knew the atmosphere, as she had worked at a matchmaking firm in Manhattan for a short time.
Just as real are the locations, as the film was shot on the streets of NYC. The soundtrack by David Pemberton and the cinematography by Shabier Kirchner are excellent. The rhythm of the film loses its pace a couple of times, but picks it right back up, and Johnson’s work wardrobe and gowns present a fashion show by designer Katina Danabassis, who also worked with director Song on her last film, Past Lives.
This is a laudable second film from director Song. Her first, Past Lives (2023), was nominated for Best Picture and Best Screenplay Oscars. Song is only in her mid-30s. She was born in South Korea and grew up in Canada. Her parents worked in the arts and encouraged her to follow her passion as a playwright, screenwriter, and filmmaker. Song said in an interview that she believes she learned more about people than at any other time in her life when she worked as a matchmaker.
She is troubled that in our society, people tend to make dating a statistics game as if purchasing merchandise, whereas love is instinctual, not mathematical. As she puts it, “Merchandise cannot fall in love with merchandise.” She also believes that “you have to look at that wrinkled face of that person when you’re 90 and still like them, all right? You still have to look at them and say: look at that cute doofus.”
Song has solid instincts in selecting her cast. Dakota Johnson reaches great depths as Lucy, with a royal bearing and haughtiness that seems a bit contrived. Johnson conveys that, along with a tiny hint that underneath it all is a different person altogether, Song and Johnson hold out the anticipation of that reveal until late in the film. Chris Evans as “John,” the struggling NYC actor, creates a persona we would never expect from “Captain America.” Pedro Pascal’s “Harry” is also a role against type.
Rather than the darkly conflicted, thoughtful hero or anti-hero, Pascal here becomes the charming but shallow rich guy. Pascal adds subtle layers of soul-searching and hidden deep frustration to a role that could have been one-note. Johnson’s “recruiter on autopilot” appears to have stepped off the screen of a 1930s or 1940s movie with her slow, languorous movements, while her character at the same time calculates her next move with hyper self-awareness. I,f after the first few minutes, the film had pulled a fast one and divulged that Lucy is really an elegant robot, it would not have been surprising.
Perhaps best known for her role in the 50 Shades of Grey franchise, Johnson is the daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, and granddaughter of Tippi Hedren. She has worked worldwide as a model and, more recently, has taken on challenging roles, as in The Lost Daughter and Daddio. Chris Evans has been acting on film and TV for 25 years, long before he became a household name as “Captain America.”
There is more to Pedro Pascal than meets the eye. This consummate actor, who has played a wide variety of characters for over 35 years (he booked his first TV role as a teen), has written and directed plays, and is one of the most in-demand actors in the business. He brings great depth to any character. His personal life, which he keeps mostly private, has been eventful and challenging. He was born in Chile, but when he was 9 months old, his family was listed as enemies of the state by the Pinochet regime that had just overthrown the democratic government. They received asylum in Denmark and then in the US. Pascal grew up in San Antonio and then Orange County and visits his numerous cousins in Chile frequently.
In Materialists, love is reduced to a transaction. We watch Lucy’s clients recite their checklists for desired mates who “check all the boxes,” a sadly overused term today. The irony is that for all their reliance on algorithms to match lifelong partners, in the end, the beauty still lies in the beholder. Case in point: Pascal’s tall, dark, and handsome Harry is the epitome of a “catch,” partly because he is at least 6’ tall. This role is believably played by an actor who is 5’10 ¾ “.
Kathryn Whitney Boole has spent most of her life in the entertainment industry, which has been the backdrop for remarkable adventures with extraordinary people. She is a Talent Manager with Studio Talent Group in Santa Monica. kboole@gmail.com
