Materialists Review: Celine Song Brings A Beautiful Depth And Yearning To The Traditional Rom-Com

What is a rom-com? There's a literal answer to that question, of course, yet while there are a myriad of films one could cite that fit neatly into the definition of the subgenre, it's a question that becomes trickier when trying to answer it outside of merely using examples. After all, some manner of love story can be found in hundreds of films that don't fit inside the "rom-com" banner, and humor is an ingredient in those and hundreds of other movies, too. The reason for all this questioning is due to the fact that we're currently enjoying a period of resurgence for the traditional romantic comedy, a subgenre that used to be a staple of the theatrical release landscape. Ever since the rise of streaming, however, these films have tended to be relegated to the background of whichever service's algorithm you're using, and since there was no need for a rom-com to set itself apart in a bustling marketplace, none of these streaming exclusives sought to push the envelope all that much.

Yet the rom-com has been making a comeback as of late, thanks in large part to box office successes like "Anyone But You" as well as genre mashups like this year's "Heart Eyes." Judging by the marketing, it seems that the next major salvo in the rom-com's comeback arsenal is "Materialists," a film that stars three hot (literally and figuratively) movie stars, is set in a major metropolitan city, and features a rags vs. riches love triangle story. If it had been made 25-odd years ago — or if it'd simply been made by another filmmaker — the movie may have been just that, a neat little typical rom-com, no more, and no less.

Instead, "Materialists" is the sophomore feature by writer/director Celine Song, who broke out with her lusciously rich debut film "Past Lives" in 2023. A more basic filmmaker may have seen "Materialists" as an opportunity to show their range, but while the movie absolutely demonstrates Song's agility with style, it also proves her prowess as an auteur filmmaker. "Materialists" is one of the most unique and heartfelt romantic dramedies to come around in a while, and though it may let down those who want their rom-coms to be more surface and less feeling (and, to be honest, funnier than what this film delivers), for those of us romantics who yearn for such depth, it's easy to fall head over heels for the film.

As I said earlier, "Materialists" is set up as a quintessential rom-com, the equivalent of a slasher movie being set at a campground cabin in the woods. In modern day New York City, Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is a career-focused thirty-something woman who works at a high-end matchmaking consultation firm. She claims to be fulfilled by being in a profession that puts what she feels are her best assets to use, which is bluntly yet fairly assessing the value of a potential match. In other words, Lucy isn't in the business of helping wealthy people find true love, but she's instead there to help them find their best approximation of what they believe love looks like. In heterosexual couplings (which the movie is primarily concerned with), the men may be looking for a glorified assistant who doubles as arm candy, while the women might be looking for little more than a man who'll make their sister jealous.

Lucy's abilities have facilitated a streak of successful marriages, making her very valuable to those who'd see a partner as a more of a business venture than a friend — in one instance, the film shows us a bride with cold feet who would rather ask advice from Lucy than from any of her family or friends. Sadly, Lucy insists that she's unmatchable, and that she's going to be a bachelorette for life. Her resignation to this fate is challenged once she meets Harry (Pedro Pascal), a man who she dubs a "unicorn" due to his being a perfect match for just about any cis woman: he's dashing, educated, handsome, doting, honest, and filthy rich. On the same night she meets Harry, Lucy's ex, John (Chris Evans), appears back in her life. The two had a tumultuous relationship in their 20s, at the end of which Lucy broke up with John, a struggling theatre actor, for financial reasons. Yet there's still a deep, strong emotional connection between the two, a connection which Lucy either doesn't feel or is fighting when it comes to Henry as he aggressively courts her. Can Lucy have it all, or is true love just a negligible variable?

Where a major studio version of this story would include a series of comedic shenanigans culminating in an ending which paid lip-service to the character's emotions, Song goes deep and real at every turn. In other words, she doesn't bring herself to the rom-com, but vice versa, absorbing the subgenre's tropes and predilections and finding the grounded reality within them. It's a real treat to see a film with this structure not be reduced to a handful of montages set to whatever pop track is charting at the time, but instead be filled with a sense of romantic yearning, with Song tapping into that same indomitable well of emotions that she captured in her previous film.

Warning: This section of the review mentions sexual assault.

However, there are limitations to the romantic comedy, elements that "Materialists" bumps into with its more grounded approach that nearly derail the movie. In the same way a stylistically adventurous slasher like last year's "In a Violent Nature" dissatisfied some fans of the subgenre who felt the film's spin on the tropes were an odd fit, "Materialists" includes a character who's been sexually assaulted, and even though it happens offscreen, the introduction of this subject matter comes close to shattering the rom-com spell of the movie. Ultimately, the subplot works thanks to Song's deft handling of the material, making it part and parcel of the way she's included so much reality in the lives of stock rom-com characters. There's a chance that some viewers might see the moment as going too far, however, and it's hard to blame them given the wish-fulfillment fantasy that the typical rom-com trades in.

"Materialists" might also lose some folks (especially due to the rom-com forward marketing of the movie) in its comedy, or general lack thereof. Certainly, there's a good deal of sharp, witty dialogue that Song gives her cast which they deliver with aplomb, yet these are only good for a few chuckles. There are no belly laughs to be found in the movie, simply because it doesn't seem Song is all that interested in providing any. It all depends on what you're looking for in the film, of course, and it's a lacking which I feel is more than made up for by the richness of the characterizations and the film's general cleverness. Perhaps those who dig this choice and those who lament it can compromise, and we can pool our efforts to convince Song to tackle a screwball romance next.

Where "Materialists" really shines is in the way it refuses to keep its leading characters on a surface level, and instead invites you to let Song and her cast take you into the characters' interiority. While there's a good deal of flash and opulence on display in the film (thanks in large part to Katina Danabassis' incisive costume design), "Materialists" is a bit of a bait and switch, the film presenting you with physically attractive people and making you listen to rather than merely ogle them. Song, director of photography Shabier Kirchner, and editor Keith Fraase let the three leads hold the screen in long, unbroken medium close ups, the better to study their expressions and emotions with. In a subgenre so obsessed with image, Song has not only slowly stripped away the character's defenses, but has crafted a story that is explicitly designed to challenge social norms without resorting to the crassness or triteness of a "Shallow Hal" or "She's All That."

The most slyly subversive way of doing this lies in Song's casting. Johnson, Pascal, and Evans have all grown to prominence based in large part on their natural charisma and physical attractiveness; to wit, all three have either been a part of or are about to be a part of a major superhero movie franchise. Yet Song wants to remind us that these are three talented actors as well, the types who aren't always given material that they're allowed to chew on in their other films. There's something refreshingly Old Hollywood about Pascal's forthrightness, Evans' underdog Everyman, and Johnson's poised vulnerability, so much so that it's not hard to see the likes of Gregory Peck, Jimmy Stewart, and Lana Turner in the roles had this been made 80 years ago. In the same way "Materialists" feels like a knowing homage to the rom-coms of the '90s and '00s, it has an overall retro charm to it, all while feeling totally modern.

A filmmaker's second feature is a key one, as it's usually a demonstration that their breakout work was not a fluke. "Materialists" not only proves Song's knack for filmmaking, it marks her as a full-blown auteur, someone who doesn't just have a signature style but also has a lot to say with their films. Taken as a whole, "Materialists" is not a mere nostalgic look back at the rom-com, nor is it a satire of the genre, an arthouse update, or any of the above. Instead, it's a genuine and honest attempt on Song's part to celebrate the subgenre while not backsliding into its more frivolous tendencies. At one point in the film, Lucy berates one of her beaus who dismisses their discussion about love and relationships, asking them if they think that the topic is merely "just girl s—t" or what. For Lucy — and for Song — these topics and themes can certainly be fun and flighty, but they can also be genuine and serious, and there shouldn't be a distinction made about that, gendered or otherwise.

Thanks to Song's artistic conviction, "Materialists" feels like a breath of fresh air, to the rom-com and to cinema in general. Where so many rom-coms of the past feel closed off to demographics that they weren't trying to target, "Materialists" is a film that I see a lot of myself in, and I suspect a great number of others will see their reflections in it, too, whether they share a life experience with the characters or not. There's a bit of quiet courageousness to the movie in its commitment to depth over trying to nakedly appeal to others, and that's a quality which makes any person — and any film — more desirable. So, I'll follow the film's bravery by admitting, right here and now, that I'm in love with it.

/Film Rating: 9 out of 10

"Materialists" opens in theaters on June 13, 2025.