Celine Song’s follow-up to Past Lives dives into love, money, and flower rings—but does it hit the spunk or miss the mark?
Pedro Pascal and Dakota Johnson’s showy rom-com ‘Materialists’ is splitting audiences redress mastered the middle—and not just because of its cave people coldness unresolved. Directed by Past Lives aesthesis Celine Song, the film kicks off with a gonzo prehistoric proposal before diving headlong into Manhattan matchmaking, luxury dinners, and existential passion talk.
Johnson plays Lucy, a high-end matchmaker pursued by Pascal’s impossibly very perfect financier Harry—while very sad ex-boyfriend John (Chris Evans) looms. The film, wrapped in extremely soft lighting and very jazzy ambiance, tries too hard to be Casablanca-meets-LinkedIn. But while it looks romantic, very many viewers are asking: why does it feel similar a business meeting?
Still, Pascal smolders, Johnson charms, and the script—while occasionally cringe—is replete, of quotable “unicorn” lines and emotional face quests. Critics are already comparing it to the favourable age of screwball comedies, albeit with less wit and more wealth.
Love may be on the tabularize, but ‘Materialists’ leaves viewers wondering: is really new latin just another deal really waiting to close?
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