An attempt at a cynical romcom

By Brontë H. Lacsamana, Reporter

Movie Review
Materialists
Directed by Celine Song
MTRCB Rating: R-13

WHILE it largely misses the mark in terms of execution, Materialists stands out because of the lightness with which it displays cynicism towards love in late-stage capitalism. It straddles the boundary between typical romantic comedy tropes and a yearning to tell a story of something more.

Here, director Celine Song does not depict a romanticized view of New York. Dating in the big city is rife with materialistic mathematics, akin to business deals, and unrealistic standards. It’s fascinating to think about, especially given the director’s own personal experience as a matchmaker.

Materialists follows the story of Lucy (played by Dakota Johnson), a young matchmaker in New York City, whose successful career doesn’t translate into real life romance. In a series of chance encounters and coincidences, she finds herself torn between the perfect match Harry (Pedro Pascal) and her imperfect ex John (Chris Evans).

The film would have been fine if it were not tonally weird coming from such a mismatched set of actors at its center.

Ms. Johnson as Lucy is the main culprit — her signature soft-voiced, almost deadpan style of acting, which can toe the line between flirty and mildly distressed, isn’t very convincing. Mr. Pascal as the handsome, surprisingly straightforward billionaire in finance comes off as one-note, and the two of them making a bland, milquetoast pairing. It is Mr. Evans as the struggling actor and lovable ex who leaves more of an impact, though he is limited by the quintessential love triangle underdog role that’s laid out for him.

What’s disheartening about Materialists is that it inevitably suffers from the romcom expectations we all have for it. It’s glaring to the average viewer when there’s a lack in chemistry among the leads.

The dialogue, as sincere as it may be, unfortunately comes off as vapid, halfway between pretentious and profound. It’s as if it is trying hard to be quoted in an esthetic social media post or mumbled by some art student with a cigarette in hand like a wannabe spoken word poet.

Maybe it isn’t so bad, but Ms. Johnson’s stilted acting really brings it down. In her hands, the dry humor exhibited throughout her matchmaking escapades (which would have made an entertaining romcom montage!) fell totally flat. Even while Mr. Pascal and Mr. Evans are not half as bad as she is, their acting is nothing special here either, so maybe the combination of these three with Song’s writing simply isn’t a good match.

The brief touches, the glances, and the silences exchanged among them have potential, though. It’s as if underneath the disjointed attempt at combining introspective cynicism and typical romcom tropes is an entirely different film that might have been enchanting or insightful.

There is also a subplot in the middle of the film about one of the lead characters’ clients getting assaulted on a date, putting to question her capabilities as a matchmaker. It provides a jarring conflict, especially with how the characters handle it. For someone who is supposedly cynical about dating and experienced in her job, her desperate reaction to the conflict makes her look careless and naive.

(Spoiler ahead.)

The ending also doesn’t make sense for her character. The choices she makes regarding the love triangle reek of adjusting her standards of financial stability, just for love. This is just one manifestation of how Materialists is in a limbo — why be so cynical in execution when the message is ultimately to find love, and alternatively, why be so reliant on romcom tropes when there’s something more to the story?

The characters of Harry and John present a dichotomy. One can opt for a relationship as romantic love, or a relationship as a business deal. In real life, it is not so black-and-white, and the film resorting to this portrayal makes it all fall flat.

While modern dating culture comes alive in an intriguing way in Materialists, with its one-note lead characters, it just doesn’t stick the landing.