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'Materialists' was not what I expected.

It's been marketed like a rom-com - but honestly? If you're heading in expecting laughs, you'll be disappointed. What you get instead is a sharp, quietly melancholic study on modern love, dating, and loneliness in the big city. It's not so much about romance as it is about emotional bankruptcy - the way ambition, money, and appearances slowly chip away at real connection.

The story follows Lucy, a matchmaker who views relationships like transactions, caught between two opposites: Harry, rich and polished, and John, her sweet but struggling ex. But the real tension isn't between them - it's in her. What does she actually want? Love, comfort, validation? Or just a life that looks good on paper?

Celine Song's style is unmistakable - lingering shots, dialogue that feels like internal monologue, and a quiet ache humming underneath it all. At times, it almost felt like watching a late-era Woody Allen film - not in tone, but in that subtle, creeping sense of urban melancholy. By the end, I didn't feel uplifted. I felt... thoughtful. A bit heavy, even.

This is a film about the emotional numbness that sneaks in when we live our lives through filters - digital and otherwise. About the loneliness hiding behind perfect apartments and curated dating profiles. And how love (or at least the idea of it) gets commodified without us even noticing.

Not a rom-com. Not really even a romance. More of a character study. A mood piece. A quiet critique. And once I let go of what I thought it was meant to be, I found I really liked it, and I hope you do too.

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 watched this without knowing anything about it. I only knew the title and the fact that Pedro Pascal was in it. No trailers, nothing.

To me this just feels like a movie desperately trying to communicate the worlds most obvious ideas and stories, while trying to make it profound in some way. Is this a New York thing (I'm European)? Is it a generational thing (I'm a millennial)? - This movie is like half an idea and a bad sentence stretched over two hours.

This was really nothing, and I would prefer watching paint dry, if it wasn't for the relatively good technical quality.

Do something else with your time. Anything.

I thought this would have been better because past lives was so good, but 2 out of 3 in the love triangle felt very hollow as characters. Dakota Johnson was also really awful which was half of the issue. I'm surprised once she got behind the camera they didn't swap her for another actor - she played her so vacuous I didn't feel any chemistry between her or any other person in the film let alone the 'love interests'. It gave her no room for growth. I didn't care who she ended up with, as the character was so shallow (and that wasn't a script issue per-say). With another actress, this might have been a 7/8. I also didn't understand the character arch for Pedro Pascal, it felt like his character had so much more potential but was reduced to something very hollow. Beautiful cinematography, but something was off with casting and the narrative.

Many of the reasons people are reviewing this poorly are the reason I feel it is a good film: It paints very negative views of modern dating. This is a strength. The film takes a strong point of view in a time when many are afraid to do so.

It's slow. This is a human story, told in real scale, through the beautiful haze of 35mm and realist acting. It is not meant to jump you out of your seat. It is painting with gorgeously long, unusually daring, and meticulously designed shots. Just admire the painting.

Lack of character arcs. I would argue this, but even if we were to rephrase as no drastic arcs, again this is realism. It's deeply human. In normal life, we as humans change very slowly most often, and to see this on screen was beautifully accessible.

Overall, this movie is a beautifully made piece that evokes feelings of classics with its medium and acting, but with modern flair that makes it feel entirely unique and new. A true human film.

I didn't know what to expect when I went in to see this movie. I'd only found out about it a few hours before I went to see it in the theater. I didn't even see a trailer for it. I'd only read a brief synopsis of the plot. I like Dakota Johnson and I'm a huge fan of both Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans and I also really enjoy romantic movies, so I figured it must be good. I didn't hate the movie nor did I love it. It was just bland across the board. It didn't provoke any emotion from me whatsoever. It wasn't romantic at all. It wasn't funny at all. It wasn't dramatic and it wasn't sad. Nothing in it made me smile or frown. I wasn't even bored either. It is well acted and that's probably why I stayed for the entire movie. There was nothing enjoyable or hateable about the movie. It was just entirely bland. I wouldn't watch it again, but I wish it luck for its theatrical run. I hope someone enjoys it more than I did.

Overview - I saw and read about a ton of ppl disappointed with Materialist but Celine Song manages to touch a subject which is slowly unravling and destroying the concept of marriage, Capitalism.

The core subject Celine wants to discuss is, in a world run and designed for women, can 90% of men afford a concept as Materialistic as a relationship/marriage?

Celine deals with this beautifully, pulling from her korean roots which draws from the hyper conventional man-woman dynamics and clashing realities of modern day relationships.its no longer uncommon to see More and more couples with the women being the primary bread winner and the man struggling to justify if he deserves to exist despite his finances.

Back to the movie, Dakota clearly demonstrates given the right material and director she can solo carry massive projects. Pedro and Chris support her well and don't shy away from demasculating objectification.

The Materialist won't break ur heart like Past lives, but it will make you believe that love still can exist in this sterile self-serving capitalist world.

Acting-7.8 Directing - 9 Plot - 6.5 Cinematography - 8.5, Celine know wat she wants with the camera painting the story effortlessly, from a $12 million penthouse to $850 3-way shared rental.

Recommendation - Please give risking taking directors like Celine Song there flowers and support such flim in theaters, if we don't we will get more unoriginal unnecessary cash grab remakes like how to train your dragon.

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.

Sad depressing melodramatic melancholy movie with wrong modern day portrayals. Very little comedy and almost a bit scary especially some of the subject matter which was quite sad. I can't think of a particular time or generation on this type of romantic activity would have been common or normal. Also substandard acting and directing.

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.

It felt more like sitting through a painfully slow stage play than a film. The entire thing was structured like a spotlight shifting from one actor to another, each delivering a long, dull monologue, one after the other, after the other, all in the same flat, monotone voice. No real emotion. No spark.

It lacked nuance, heart, and honestly any real insight. It was like watching mannequins give TED Talks on shallow philosophies.

I was really looking forwards to a high quality, refreshing, original, romantic comedy, but jokes on me because this was not romantic or funny. I left feeling like I just wasted my time.

Loved the subdued and nuanced acting. Casting and cinematography were close to flawless, a nice blend of retro romcom with realistic portrayals of what truly matters in a successful romantic relationship aligned with a wonderful score. Certainly wasn't your predictable romcom plonk, but instead and insightful analysis of dating in today's world. Make sure you watch the credits until the end -beautiful.

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.

What a bore. Incredible how anybody can make such a flat, boring, pointless movie with so many great elements.

The main problem here is her. She is so beautiful but so inexpressive. Her voice carries over the entire movie in this completely forgettable rant that could not interest anybody no matter how bored they were to begin with.

She should get into modelling and forget acting.

Visuals are beautiful but ... how to describe them ... so fantastic and aspirational they could never be real.

Pascal is looking old here. He brings nothing to the role beyond good 50+ looks.

The other boyfriend is so cliché, working as a waiter at the wedding she put together.

And again, the whole centuries old debate of love versus money falls flat and pointless on the back of this beautiful but really bad actrice.

I had to play puzzles on my phone just to get throught the thing. Honestly, it is shamefully materialistic in its conception: put two attractive and highly sought after actors in a lovely setting and waste no energy on adding any other value.

This is what you get. A disgrace. (another one. Don't get me started on the we were liars fiasco on amazon)

It's been said many times already but Materialists isn't the film promised by the trailers and that's apparent from the first scene. The classic love triangle setup of a romantic comedy is told in a more thoughtful and honest fashion, focusing on the complex transactional nature of a modern relationship. It might be a little too blunt in how it ties the opening into everything else even if it effectively shows how dating hasn't completely changed since its creation.

Dakota Johnson has a confident cynicism and slowly reveals a greater vulnerability as things get increasingly complicated whilst retaining the restrained manner overall. Pedro Pascal just exudes charisma constantly whilst making his unicorn of a match feel more human. It's especially satisfying to see Chris Evans return to a role that's actually worthy of his talents after some misguided choices recently, allowing him to offer a much needed reminder of what he is truly capable of.

Celine Song's assured direction delivers a film that feels very stagey and simultaneously highly cinematic thanks to a precise craftsmanship present throughout. The film is consistently comfortable in moments of silence between its long stretches of eloquently written dialogue; however, Daniel Pemberton's understated score still finds time to stand out. Shabier Kirchner's effortless cinematography moves through each scene with real precision and never falters.

Celine Song is the writer and Director of "Past Lives" (2023) and all I can say it's one of the best films I've ever seen.

Unfortunately the same style and formula made for Past Lives didn't work this time with Materialists. The storytelling of body language, lack of words, the lack of explanation, lack details in their dialogue, the simplicity didn't really add to the story where as Past Lives worked perfectly.

Sorry if I compare it to Past Lives, I know I shouldn't they're both completely different. Besides its not fair.

I think this movie could have been great if the writer would've written the screenplay as realistic as possible. The movie would hit completely different.

I love Pedro Pascal, I'm a fan of his and have posters of him in my room and stuff. Dakota and Chris are great actors, in general the actors did what they could with the script they were given.

Even though I was underwhelmed I was thoroughly entertained the whole time I watched the movie and that's what movies are supposed to do. Maybe it deserves a higher score.

This movie had no idea what it was supposed to be. It starts off feeling like a romcom, but a very slow and boring one that never actually gets funny. Then it tries to turn into a drama but it feels like an unjustified detour. The jokes aren't funny. The romance isn't romantic. The drama is flat. And why is everyone smoking?? Who smokes anymore, and what did it contribute to the story? I was just distracted thinking about how bad they must smell during the next romantic moment.

I've never been a fan of Dakota Johnson, but I'm a huge fan of Pascal and Evans. I was interested to see it with them in the cast. Even they were bad! When a cast this talented all display a stiff, forced performance, the blame has to shift to the writing and directing. These actors, even Johnson, were done a disservice being pulled into such a poor performance.

None of the three main characters are strongly likable, and so I was left wandering through this mess of a movie not caring what even happened to them in the end. Apparently my theater-mates agreed, because two different couples walked out halfway through. My husband and I only stayed because we were with friends. As the credits began, we all just laughed as they admitted they only stayed because we were there. All four of us wish we'd left after the first 40 minutes.