Materialists (2025)

The review describes the film as a lavishly charming New York story of love, money, and dating that plays the rom-com straight. It singles out Celine Song's witty dialogue and Dakota Johnson's forceful, sharp performance.

The critic finds the film a razor-sharp yet hopeful look at the competitive marketplace of modern dating, with a romcom surface that conceals thoughtful substance. Song is praised for subverting expectations through witty dialogue and a primal, ancient view of love.

This is a sexy, smartly written New York story that examines modern dating’s callous, algorithmic nature through a satisfying romantic triangle. Johnson leads with aplomb while Pascal and Evans are expertly cast as fundamentally decent men.

The critic calls it a smart and funny all-star love triangle with its own commitment issues. She singles out Dakota Johnson's performance as perfectly suited to the film's clear-eyed take on contemporary romance.

The film thoughtfully examines whether money should matter in relationships and packs crisp insights about the dating economy, though sentiment is harder to find and it may not fully work as a romcom.

Song’s follow-up uses a romantic triangle to explore the battle between head and heart with frankness, delivering a sharp look at modern love’s mix of fiscal security and soulmate pursuit. Narrative stumbles and pat resolutions in the second half prevent it from fully landing.

The film is a charming and watchable romantic comedy-drama but feels anticlimactic in its resolution of the love triangle. It offers witty observations on materialism and dating but replaces them with subdued romanticism.

The critic views the film as a compelling examination of the misery of modern dating, class, economics and algorithmic matching through a talky love triangle. Song’s ideas about risk versus box-ticking in relationships are singled out as accurate and engaging.

Song’s sophomore feature is an earnest but underbaked romantic dramedy that prioritises the tussle between money and love over romcom conventions, with characters that feel like ideas rather than individuals. It still captures something affecting about the miracle of romance in a cynical world.

The review finds the film a thoughtful romantic drama that explores love, money, and modern relationships but doesn't quite add up emotionally. It singles out the lead performance and direction for their intimacy while noting the story's failure to fully convince.

The film is an equivocating romantic drama that tries to have it both ways as both glossy Hollywood product and solemn indie, resulting in paper-doll characters and a script that hedges its bets. It ultimately fails to commit to either fantasy or earthy emotion.

The critic sees the film as an intellectual and visually stunning exploration of why people marry that ultimately feels two-dimensional and devoid of romantic magic. The central performances and familiar head-versus-heart dilemma are noted as competent but understated to a fault.

The critic finds Celine Song’s follow-up a rickety, bloodless rom-com that fails to land its screwball ambitions or dialogue, with a problematic subplot that undermines the whole. The unsettling final act offers a glimmer but ultimately settles for easy absolution.

The critic finds it an inert misreading of modern romance that fails to be either a frothy fantasy or a substantive treatise, with thin characters and a pivot to a conventional narrative after glancing at structural issues. Complains of no chemistry and a dishonest emphasis on love overcoming class and misogyny.

The film is wearisome and the biggest disappointment of the decade, neutered by cockeyed casting, overwritten speeches and a trite premise that feels like a soulless reboot of classic romances.

The seductive but flawed love-triangle movie struggles with chemistry between the leads and a jarring subplot, making stylish and intelligent company that settles for less than it could.

The critic describes it as an anti-rom-com and cynical takedown of the genre, a tale about what even love cannot do despite glossy trappings and stars. Notes it subverts expectations with a more realistic, less feel-good approach to romance and class.

The critic notes the film is self-aware and in conversation with the rom-com genre but does not reinvent it, with a script that works in fits and starts by often making subtext literal. Praises the lensing of contrasting lifestyles but finds the central dilemma and resolution somewhat disingenuous.

The critic calls it a refreshingly complex look at modern love, self-worth and the challenges of finding a partner in an unaffordable city, treating the romantic triangle with equal integrity and compassion. Singles out the insightful writing matched by strong direction and Dakota Johnson's best work in years.

The critic praises the film as a seductive, smartly refreshed update on the romantic comedy genre. She singles out the chemistry and performances in the central love triangle for making the story engaging and delightful.

The critic calls it a modern romantic classic with depth and layers beyond typical genre fare, praising Song's balanced love triangle and the strong performances from Johnson, Pascal, and Evans.

The critic calls it the best movie about the search for love in many years, praising its defiance of easy categorization and Song's direction. They single out the perfect casting and performances of Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal for praise.

The critic praises Song for infusing the traditional rom-com with genuine emotional depth and yearning rather than surface-level tropes. They single out the film's honest exploration of romantic value and the strong performances that reveal the characters' interior lives.

The critic highlights how the film unites romantics and cynics through its pragmatic take on modern love and dating, crediting Song's thoughtful character work and earned romantic payoff.

The critic praises the film as a smart, sexy rom-com that offers a sharp, realistic look at modern matchmaking and superficial dating criteria. Dakota Johnson’s sophisticated lead performance is singled out for keeping viewers engaged despite the character’s flaws.

The critic finds it exceptionally intelligent filmmaking that explores the commodification of modern romance rather than a standard rom-com, recommending it for its thoughtful approach. They praise Song for not selling the fantasy herself and solidifying her status as a thoughtful filmmaker.

The critic finds Song's follow-up an insightful look at the transactional nature of modern dating and self-worth, with strong performances and aesthetic appeal. They note it is more breezy than her debut but ultimately less substantial and convincing overall.