With her long-awaited second feature Materialists, Celine Song returns after first breaking and then gently stitching our hearts back together with Past Lives. Add Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, and Dakota Johnson into a romantic comedy ensemble, and you’ve got the kind of casting dream no one saw coming. It’s hard not to fall for it.According to GQ India, Materialists follows hotshot New York matchmaker Lucy (Dakota Johnson), who has successfully orchestrated nine marriages. She meets wealthy capitalist Harry (Pedro Pascal) at a client’s wedding—a “practical” encounter that quickly leads to courtship. But her past collides with her present when she runs into her ex, John (Chris Evans), a struggling theater actor she clearly hasn’t forgotten. As the story unfolds, one question looms large: who does Lucy ultimately choose?When Lucy discovers that her client Sophie (Zoe Winters) has been sexually assaulted by Mark (a voice cameo from Past Lives actor John Magaro)—the man Lucy had matched her with—she takes a leave of absence. Harry invites her to join him on a trip to Iceland, and she agrees. But while packing, she finds an engagement ring hidden in his bag—and everything suddenly stalls. Over takeout, she shares the bizarre backstory behind Harry’s secret surgery—the one that added nearly six inches to his height. Honest but shaken, the two decide to part ways.With her apartment rented out for a week, Lucy awkwardly asks John if she can crash at his place. Rather than squeeze her in with his noisy roommates, he playfully suggests a road trip upstate. They sneak into a stranger’s wedding, and amid clinking glasses and shaky tunes, they share a dance—and a kiss. When John later asks, nervously, where they stand, Lucy simply grins and shrugs. They are in limbo, but it feels strangely perfect.Then, Lucy gets a panicked call from Sophie: Mark is trying to force his way into her apartment. Lucy jumps in a car with Harry to race back and check on her. After the crisis settles, Lucy and Sophie have a raw, honest conversation—one in which Lucy realizes that no matter how empty John’s wallet is, he’s the one who truly matters. She smiles, and when John offers her one last chance to start over, she takes it.The next day, just before she’s due to hand in her resignation, Lucy receives an offer to become the head of Adore. She goes for a picnic in Central Park with John and tells her current boss, Violet (Marin Ireland), that she’s still considering it. There, amid soft petals and shy smiles, John proposes again—this time with a handmade ring crafted from the flowers he brought. Lucy says yes. During the credits, we see Lucy and John at the city clerk’s office, side by side with other couples, smiling as they apply for their marriage license.Materialists isn’t the warm, breezy New York rom-com people may expect from Celine Song. Instead, as GQ India rightly observes, it’s a sharp, poignant look at millennial dating through a Gen-Z lens. Through Lucy’s awkward, often emotionally tangled nights, the film peels back the insecurities—on both sides of the gender divide—that quietly shape modern love. From ghosting and self-worth to the transactional undercurrents of relationships, Materialists stares everything down without flinching.The star power—Pedro Pascal, Chris Evans, and Dakota Johnson—remains Materialists’ biggest draw, as IMDb confirms. Johnson’s reserved, quietly glowing Lucy is a joy to watch, while both suitors—Evans’ tender, artsy John and Pascal’s magnetic, overcompensating Harry—are equally compelling. Dakota Johnson shares such potent chemistry with both that choosing between them feels as difficult for viewers as it is for Lucy.Cinematographically, the film gives New York a warm, organic visual language we don’t often see. Materialists offers more than just steamy charm or romantic dilemmas—it layers math, emotion, power, and pain into a thoughtful story about love in an age of uncertainty. It may not hit the same deep emotional notes as Past Lives, but it wins your heart in its own raw, intelligent way.
