Celine Song Strikes Gold with Materialists

Everyone has the guy/girl who feels like the one that got away.  The human that is unequivocally your person who you would run through fire for at any given moment.  But, for some reason, the timing is always bad or you push them away for fear of the relationship failing.  Relationships are tricky and require a balancing act of placing your feelings on a ledge to accommodate room for you both to grow with ebbs and flows of life. But, what happens when the match on the dating app is questionable in real life?  Does one continue to uphold the standard of their qualifications list or become flexible in the world of modern dating?

Director Celine Song is a master at manipulating these relationships in cinema to the point where audience members will question themselves and all their choices in the past and moving forward. Having worked as a former matchmaker while struggling in the earlier days  of her career amongst the hustle and bustle of New York City, Song clearly executes that world to perfection.

Dakota Johnson (Lucy) is a  young New York City matchmaker whose lucrative business becomes complicated as she finds herself torn between the perfect match (Pedro Pascal) and her imperfect ex (Chris Evans).

What is most intriguing is about this film is this trio of protagonists are far from perfection, which is the usual formula provided for this film genre.  Harry (Pascal) uses this financial stability to make up for what he lacks height, John (Evans) is hopelessly drawn to Lucy despite her sending mixed signals and Lucy is conflicted on wanting perfection or perfect imperfection in her significant other.

All three actors are really stepping into their own in a manner audiences haven’t seen from the.  Johnson embraces a quiet fire sultriness that makes her endearing and hateful all at once.  One moment you are in her corner and the next you want to shake some good sense into that hard headed skull.

Evans has finally been allowed to stretch his thespian prowess beyond the MCU as a leading man with heart and vulnerability who stands up for himself when he needs to.  He clearly has the chops to embrace more emotionally complicated roles and characters.  I just wish Hollywood stop boxing him in because of his matinee idol good looks.

Pascal is equally as vulnerable bordering on pitiful like a puppy waiting at the door when you leave for the day.  Loved watching be so raw and real.

The actor who steals the film is Zoe Winters (Sophie) as a young woman who just wants to be loved and finds herself in a position most women in online dating fear.  Winters portrayal of such a complicating range of emotions will make you want to reach out to give her virtual hug

Materialists will have one questioning who they fall in love with, why and what matters most – money, love or just someone you vibe with little to no effort.  If you loved Past Lives – you are gonna fall in love all over again with Song’s latest addition to her cinematic cannon.