Was ist Liebe wert: Materialists

My wife and I watched The Materialist (2025) in theaters last night. The story follows a matchmaker in New York who's helped countless others find love-but hasn't quite found it for herself. Or maybe she has, but the strict conditions she places on relationships may have kept her from realizing it. When she meets a man who seems to check every box, she's forced to ask herself: is she about to make a mistake, and is true love more important than her carefully curated criteria?

The film is written and directed by Celine Song (Past Lives) and stars Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades of Grey), Chris Evans (Captain America), Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones), Zoe Winters (Succession), and Marin Ireland (Homeland).

From the opening scene, it's clear the film is pushing a familiar message and the storyline is highly predictable-you'll likely see every plot turn coming. That said, it does offer some thoughtful reflections on successful men's outlook on dating, the difficulties older women encounter in dating, and the universal longing for companionship. It also explores how rigid expectations in relationships can sometimes become barriers to genuine happiness.

In conclusion, The Materialist presents some fun situations and sincere themes, but ultimately feels a bit contrived. I'd give it a 6.5/10 and recommend it only with the appropriate expectations.

Unless I misunderstood, the movie's message is : "When it comes to dating... you HAVE to settle". A somewhat interesting romance script, with a heavy emphasis on dating. Good and bad stuff for both genres.

Dakota delivers a strange character. A somewhat calculative woman, but very purposedly written that way. Her delivery is quite flat throughout.. except in a few key moments that convinced me she knew what she was doing. Her character isn't particularly charming or overwritten. She does feel unreal and tactless at times, but can be lukewarm when needed. She has a strange role because I've never met someone like that.. but it is possible, I guess. Her character is kind of unlikeable, you're not encouraged to root for her, and the movie makes no effort to suggest otherwise. But she has ups and downs, maybe even has an arc. She feels real (especially for New York) and is very much at the center of the film. In the end, I guess I bought it! Emotional pay off and all! Somehow, it works.

The pacing is VERY slow, especially for a 2 hour movie. The cinematography stands out at times, it is very well produced and executed overall. The acting feels stiff, still. And I don't particularly feel entertained or satisfied. It did made me doubt my prediction, but it got there in the end.

It's an okay watch, but maybe not for the theater.. which is something I realized I say too often now. The convenience of streaming, no doubt.

I was disappointed in this one. It had its moments, but not enough to warrant a more than an average rating. Dakota Fanning's delivery of dialogue has always been so monotone to me however, I have to say I like this role better than some of her others. She actually seemed to care at a few moments during this movie. The exposure of horrible things that could come from using a dating service was good details. Not in a warm fuzzy kind of way, but it's an unfortunate reality. The shallowness of people when they're looking for the perfect mate was very believable. Disappointing but believable. To me the ending was very predictable.

Dakota Johnson acts as if she's reading off of a script in front of her. She has no change in tone, no depth to her voice or emotions. Even Pedro was underwhelming in this role. It felt as though Celine Song was attempting to make this film have an incredibly deep and moving message, but it didn't come across as she intended. They marketed this movie as a rom-com, disappointing me when I realized it wasn't. It could have been redeemed by a compelling story but the poor acting and awkward conveyance of a boring intended message proved the film irredeemable. Anyone other than Dakota Johnson would've worked better. Next time cast Daisy Edgar Jones.

I think that the movie was overhyped. It felt like there was just something missing and maybe because I watch a lot of series and get to enjoy the progression of characters overtime. That's why I felt like there was something missing. I think that the actors were great and maybe during the storyline there was way too much focus on her job aspect and there could've been just a little bit more of her personal life being expressed on screen. I honestly think the trailer was probably better than the movie and I found myself getting a little bit bored at times. I think that this was a great trio, but I don't know if that this was the perfect movie for them.