Celine Song’s Materialists presents a fresh take on modern romance, exploring the emotional complexities of love through the lens of a matchmaker struggling with her own heart. The film, starring Dakota Johnson, avoids clichés and presents a love triangle that feels painfully familiar yet uniquely grounded. It highlights the challenges of balancing past relationships, personal desires, and societal expectations.
The story centers on Lucy, a professional matchmaker who excels at creating perfect relationships for others but finds herself lost when it comes to her own love life. As she navigates the intersections of romance, money, and emotional history, the film builds toward a finale that challenges viewers to reflect on their own choices and desires.
Lucy Navigates Love Between Security, Authenticity, And Connection While Choosing Heart Over Perfection
Lucy is caught between two men. Harry, portrayed by Pedro Pascal, is charming, financially secure, and emotionally mature, and seems like the perfect partner. John, played by Chris Evans, is a familiar ex with a warm heart but emotional instability. The narrative examines the tension between security and authenticity, fantasy and reality, as Lucy navigates these competing forces in her romantic life.
Materialists (Sony Pictures Releasing)After a period of emotional conflict and self-reflection, Lucy realizes that what she truly desires is genuine love rather than perfection. Despite Harry’s seemingly ideal qualities, her heart repeatedly pulls her toward John. The film emphasizes that love is about connection, vulnerability, and mutual understanding rather than calculated compatibility.
The movie opens and closes with a symbolic caveman wedding, where a flower serves as a token of love rather than material wealth. This imagery mirrors Lucy’s ultimate decision, reinforcing the idea that authentic love is rooted in simplicity, mutual care, and shared history rather than superficial ideals or material gain.
Growth, Empathy, And Authentic Love Guide Choices Beyond Loss And Transactional Relationships
While Lucy chooses John, Harry’s story is not one of loss but of growth. He moves on to a new relationship, illustrating one of the film’s central messages. Not all connections are meant to last, but every person deserves love. Harry’s arc shows that relationships can end without disaster or villainy.
A significant subplot involves Lucy’s client, Sofia, whose traumatic dating experience forces Lucy to confront the limitations of her matchmaking as a transactional process. By supporting Sofia through vulnerability and care, Lucy learns that real relationships rely on emotional presence and solidarity. These lessons shape her ultimate choice with John.
The ending of Materialists reinforces the film’s central themes. Love cannot be engineered, measured, or bought. John’s flower-ring proposal symbolizes a rejection of materialized romance in favor of shared history, authenticity, and mutual growth. Lucy’s journey reflects a transformative realization that messy, imperfect love is ultimately worth pursuing.
