When I first watched Past Lives on a plane, of all places, in 2023, I fell in love with Celine Song. I believed she was one of the best directors and writers out there, and I wanted to see so much more of her in Hollywood. Her debut was a force to be reckoned with. So, when Materialists was confirmed to release as part of the 2025 movie schedule, I was eager to see it.
Things happen, and I wasn’t able to get to the theater to see the film. Thankfully, I had a night at home alone and decided to rent it because I was aching to watch this new film. And it was…fine. That ending, though — I don’t believe it, and now, I’m not so sure where Song was going with how John and Lucy’s story concluded.
The Movie Overall Was Fine, And Enjoyable For The Most Part
I want to start by saying I didn’t hate the movie. I actually enjoyed most of Materialists. As Dakota Johnson said, it’s more than a “rom-com” and has a lot of poignant lessons on love and life, and it’s something that I can see a lot of people enjoying. Marketing it more as a rom-com, as if it was going to become one of our best rom-coms, was a mistake, in my eyes.
The first 75% of the film was excellent. I actually did like the idea of a matchmaker having this pessimistic view of love and then struggling to connect with someone, only for her to communicate with a person from her past. That’s prime material right there. However, I think it’s just the ending that really got to me, because I don’t believe it.
I Just Can't See Lucy And John Staying Together Very Long
I’m all for second-chance romances. There’s a whole book sub-genre dedicated to it. In order for me to truly enjoy it, though, I have to believe it, and I just didn’t with these two. I honestly think it’s because of a combination of a couple of things.
One, money issues are a significant hurdle in most relationships. While John did express he was going to start taking catering and similar responsibilities more seriously, I don’t think Lucy showed enough growth in her understanding of finances for her to connect with John over that truly. I still believe that by the end, she would be cynical of him not having money to provide for her, mainly because of her past and their former connection.
Two, we didn’t really see a lot of them. I think them getting married in that end-credits scene at the courthouse is cute and all, but I don’t get their relationship. We saw the moments that they fought, sure, but where’s the romance? The flashbacks to the good times? What were the instances that made these two want to get back together? As a viewer, that’s valuable.
Think of it like reading a book – if you show the bad times from a past relationship, of course, you’re not going to want the main character to get back together with him.
I would have been fine if she ended up with someone completely different. It didn't even have to be Pedro Pascal’s character. It could have been some random Joe Schmo on the street. Because we were only fed the bad moments of their relationship rather than the few good times, it feels… unbelievable.
They Don't Feel Like They're In Love, And That's The Big Thing
The biggest issue is that I don’t feel their chemistry. I don’t. Critics called Materialists a cynical film in many ways, and it is. I think the bigger issue is that Lucy doesn’t feel connected to John. It feels like her chemistry is atomic with Harry (Pascal). Which is an issue, considering she told him she didn’t love him, and vice versa.
So, how am I, the viewer, going to walk away from this film thinking that Lucy and John were the endgame when their sparks were equivalent to a four-dollar sparkler from Walmart? How am I supposed to feel, when Lucy and Harry were like the super expensive fireworks you get when you travel out of town to visit that special store?
I don’t know. Maybe I’m the issue with this film. Perhaps I’ve been scorched by love too much in the past. If you’re going to write a romance movie, please, for the love of all things good, make the endgame couple actually feel like they genuinely love each other and they’re not just settling. Gosh. I need a palate cleanser now.
