14 June,2025 07:09 PM IST | Mumbai | Johnson Thomas
Materialist review
Playwright turned filmmaker Celine Song's second feature, after the exquisite head-turner âPast Lives' is a refreshingly complex look at modern love. The title says it all - is material wealth more important than love, or are they two sides of the same coin?
Lucy(Dakota Johnson), is a super successful matchmaker at Adore, a high-end firm that specialises in finding partners for rich New Yorkers. Song, who worked at a dating agency before she went into theatre and film, makes it obvious she knows what she is talking about by intercutting amusing consults into the main thread of Lucy's story. We get to see the client's side, where each client appears to seek a fit that narrows down the choices. And that's the case with both men and women. If on one side you see middle-aged men wanting to date attractive women between the ages of 20 and 29, you also get women whose choices are so demanding that it's impossible to find a perfect fit. Obviously, finding suitable matches in a city like New York is a challenge.
But Lucy, with her track record of an impressive nine weddings, is the star of the all-female firm led by Violet (Marin Ireland). Lucy herself, though, seems to have made peace with being single. Her requirements of a partner - they are called unicorns - men who are smart, handsome, in shape and earning more than $500K a year, is obviously not easy to come by. To her, marriage is a business deal in which the terms must be right.
At a wedding where Lucy talks to a bride, Charlotte (Louisa Jacobson), out of her cold feet, she meets unicorn material in the groom's brother, Harry (Pedro Pascal). He is obviously more interested in her than her service. Just as Lucy and Harry start hitting it off, her ex, John (Chris Evans), a struggling actor, comes back into the picture. Though there's a lot of feeling on both sides, John is just not making enough money to become suitable for Lucy, who is pragmatic about her needs versus her wants. Harry, on the other hand, owns a $12 million penthouse, takes her to swanky restaurant meals, serenades her with flowers, and tempts her with travel invitations to wherever she would like to go.
Lucy is predictably torn between two men offering her very different futures. Song's script brings out nuances that would never be seen in generic romcoms. No doubt the film highlights the transactional nature of relationships and the commodification of certain attributesâ¦but it's done with the purpose of broadening the debate about finding someone âsuitable' enough to help increase one's worth.
An unexpected incident with a client causes Lucy to question her certainties about what makes a good match. And that's when the narrative turns on its head.
Despite being relatively new to filmmaking making Song is assured in her craft. She is able to balance the different elements in her film with variation in tone. The three leads are perfect in their roles. Johnson balances light-weight pragmatism with bone-deep disillusionment quite well. Pascal's Harry is supremely assured, but underneath, we are able to see hints of self-doubt. Evan's who appears happy-go-lucky, goes deep when he questions his own worth. Cinematographer Shabier Kirchner's visuals have clarity and distinctiveness, while Daniel Pemberton's gentle score, entwined with songs like "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City," and "In Spite of Ourselves," helps deliver a satisfying ending devoid of sentiment. This is an intelligent, insightful, witty film that is much more than a modern love story.
