Materialists is about a late-30s matchmaker who fundamentally doesn’t believe in love because she thinks she’s a bad person. She doesn’t value herself, so she can’t value anyone else, and she insincerely walks through her job saying things about love that feel hollow to her. She’s good at her job because the hollow things are generally true. She just can’t put anything into it.
Two men enter her life at a time when her job gets hard. She used to date one, and she dumped him because she didn’t value what he could offer. She tries dating the one who is “good on paper,” but ultimately doesn’t value what he offers either (which is actually economic security, in this case).
The heroine must learn to value herself in order to value her poor ex-boyfriend’s offering, which is simply love.
You’ll notice I keep saying the word “value.” That’s because the characters do, too. Materialists, in its title and screenwriting, is not going for subtlety of message.
I don’t expect a lot out of romantic movies (whether romcom or romdrama). What I want is a happily ever after, chemistry between the leads, and a fundamental belief in the redemptive power of love.
Materialists gave me two out of three of those. I never believed the chemistry. The other two are the more important elements, so that’s okay.
The acting is…not good. None of the leads seemed comfortable with the highly stylized dialogue. Please note it’s not *bad* dialogue; it’s just definitely not the way people actually talk, and everyone is talking to the theme of the movie, using the same keywords. And the lead trio simply do not sell it.
Their acting was worst when it needed the highest intensity, too. I swear, none of the actors believed what they were saying. Pedro Pascal’s emotional moment seemed almost like he was laughing at the material instead of crying with vulnerability. I think Chris Evans hated the way his character talked to Dakota Johnson’s.
Even so.
It’s quite a good script (which was not a good fit for these generally competent actors). I liked the airy editing and the gentle pacing. It had nice music. I enjoyed the themes that they were uncomfortably talking around.
My takeaway was pleasant because it’s hard to get fussed about a movie that does, genuinely, believe in love. Even poorly delivered dialogue doesn’t kneecap the heroine’s character arc.
It’s got a bit of a dreamy feeling, not unlike Serendipity. It’s a lot warmer and less cynical than basically anything post-Pretty Woman in Julia Roberts’s career. It has the grounded look at real love of a Reese Witherspoon movie. And the filmmaking of an Oscar nominee, of course.
I usually watch romcoms around the holidays, and Materialists will fit nicely in my rotation, which is the highest compliment I can pay. I think this will age well and perform favorably in the context of other romcoms. It’s not exactly an enthusiastic four star, but a very comfortable one.
(image credit: A24)
