Walking into Materialists, I felt like a cartoon character who has an angel above one shoulder and a devil above the other.  The angel told me to think positively as it’s directed by Celine Song – the creator of Past Lives which earned an Oscar nomination for best picture and made by top 10 list in 2023.  The devil had me thinking negatively thanks to a fluffy trailer which gave the appearance of a cheesy, formulaic, unrealistic romantic comedy.

While it isn’t perfect, I’m happy to report the angel came out on top.  Song takes chances and the film is better for it.  It revolves around Lucy (Johnson), a thirty-something-year-old single woman who lives in Manhattan and earns roughly $80,000 a year working at a high-profile “matchmaking” business.  Clients pay a membership fee and in return, employees match them up with compatible suitors.  It may sound old fashioned, especially given the use of apps these days, but such businesses still exist and in fact, Song briefly worked for one early in her career.

There are many talking points to come from Materialists and one centres on the industry itself.  Lucy remarks that people tell her things they wouldn’t tell their own therapists… and it’s true.  She deals with a range of customers who will openly admit to being racist, ageist, vain and/or materialistic.  The way some ego-driven folk see themselves and what they want out of a relationship… yeah, it’s both laugh-out-loud funny and darkly scary.  What percentage of the actual population are represented in these characters?  I’d hate to know the answer.

Another differentiating quality is the “greyness” of Lucy.  She’s a not-always-likeable person who, at times, comes off like a slimy real estate agent who will say whatever is necessary to close a deal.  She’s not looking for love herself and, as evidenced in a “wedding crasher” scene, we learn she is quite jaded and cynical when it comes to lifelong devotion.

Yet, in true rom-com fashion, the film introduces two men trying to win her affections.  They’re as different as chalk and cheese with Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) playing a penthouse-owning, millionaire venture capitalist while Chris Evans (Captain America) plays a handsome but dirt-broke actor she dated several years ago.  Instead of wondering who she’ll choose, audiences might instead ask the question of whether she deserves either of them.

Song makes a few missteps.  There are unnecessary elements such as a caveman tale, which bookends the film, and Lucy’s odd redemptive arc with a client relationship gone wrong.  They don’t fit very well.  Still, I enjoyed the intelligent, well-crafted dialogue where characters open-up and talk about love in a transactional manner.  It’s weird but also witty and thought-provoking.  Cinematographer Shabier Kirchner seems to always have the camera in the perfect place and the use of continuous takes gives certain conversations more weight.

Further bolstered by the quality performances of the three leads, Materialists is a romantic comedy for those who are a little sceptical of romantic comedies.