There are various reasons why romantic comedies don’t get as much time on the silver screen as they used to. A few years ago, Matt Damon explained a little bit about why that was in an interview over a plate of hot wings: now that streaming services are in and DVD and Blu-rays are out, filmmakers can no longer take as many risks on anything that isn’t a guaranteed hit as they fret over boring logistic and economic concerns. I’m reminded of that interview as I watch Materialists, a thoughtful and modern romcom about a woman who gets into a love triangle between a rich equity manager who meets all of her economic needs and a poor wannabe actor who pointedly does not, but whom she’s nevertheless drawn to.
Lucy (Dakota Johnson) works as a matchmaker — something I didn’t know still existed in today’s world — something she’s gotten good at by reducing people down to their parts (height, job, background, tax bracket). On the same night as she meets the handsome, ultra-rich private equity manager Harry (Pedro Pascal), Lucy also finds herself reunited with her ex-boyfriend John (Chris Evans), a struggling actor who waits tables to make rent. The two men are representative of the choice she must make between economic certainty and just going with your heart. By the way Lucy talks about her job, it’s clear that she views romantic relationships as a kind of business transaction; both parties need to check the boxes of the other. She has her own boxes she wants checked in her own forever match, and her one non-negotiable is that the guy has to be wealthy.
I rolled my eyes when I heard this. Here we go, I thought. There’s the one-dimensional “obviously wrong” point of view of the lead that needs to be taught a lesson before she can find true love — predictable. But to my surprise and delight, the movie makes no moral judgment about Lucy’s priorities. It’s not trivial just because it’s about money; as much as Hollywood loves to pretend that love trumps money every time, and we the audience pretend to believe that it’s easy to make that choice. The reality we live in is different. Money keeps us fed and happy. Money keeps us alive. And if we don’t have it, love can very easily take a back seat to it. Writer and director Celine Song has injected Materialists with a lot of her real-world experience with the profession of matchmaking, and it shows.
Dakota Johnson is a believable Lucy. Her performances haven’t always been stellar, brought down by terrible scripts and direction in some of her most high-profile movies (I’m thinking of her breakout role as Anastasia Steele in the 50 Shades of Grey movies and the much-memed Madame Webb). I think she’s more suited to the role of the pragmatic Lucy, showing a quiet confidence with subtle emotional responses that wouldn’t work in a more dramatic romcom, but does in Materialists.
Pascal and Evans are both likable leading men in their own ways; Pascal as an impossible dreamboat and Evans as a charming ‘old friend’ energy. Neither one seems the ‘wrong’ choice, and reveals differing areas of vulnerability. The dialogue is clever and witty, notwithstanding a few moments that feel like the characters are monologuing at the audience rather than talking to the other character. One standout scene is one where Lucy and Harry are discussing their compatibility as couple, both of them using the language of business and value as a stand-in for their actual feelings.
However, we don’t get much visible introspection from Lucy, though she does apparently change her mind by the film’s end. I couldn’t exactly tell you what barrier she overcomes; Her goal, which she seems so sure about at the start, is simply gone by the end thought a clear turning point. She starts the movie wanting to date a wealthy man, and we are treated to one awkwardly-placed flashback scene where a line of dialogue places a clue as to why it’s such a big issue for her: she doesn’t want to fight about money like her parents did. At the end of the 130-minute runtime, though, she thinks differently, and it’s ultimately not clear what has changed her mind about it all, or what her new opinion even is exactly. Love has simply won.
Sometimes that’s just how it is, though. Sometimes hearts just change and love can transcend all of that worrisome economic anxiety, so long as the two people work together to meet in the middle. There’s no real logic behind Lucy’s decision, but all I can tell you is that in the moment, sitting in the darkened theatre with my hand on my fiancée’s, it made perfect sense.
Materialists is in theatres now.
About the Author
Edie W-K
she/her
If it isn't video games, Edie doesn't care about it. She's been playing games since the N64 era, and only spent enough time away from her 3DS to earn a Bachelor in Games Design from RMIT.
