Materialists

Front Row at the Movies by Shirrel Rhoades

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I almost missed this gem of a movie, but you can catch “Materialists” if you hurry.

After watching zillions of delightful movies about matchmakers – “Matchmaking Mama” (1929), “The Matchmaker” (1958), “Hello, Dolly!” (1969), “Crossing Delancey” (1988), “Clueless” (1995), “Emma” (1996, 2000), “The Matchmaker” (1997), “Night of Henna” (2005), “Are You Ready for Love?” (2006), “The Matchmaker” (2010), “Bicycle Bride” (2010), “The Marriage Counselor” (2011), “The Princess and the Matchmaker” (2018), “Royal Matchmaker” (2018), “The Matchmakers Playbook” (2018), “Brimming for Love” (2018), “Indian Matchmaking” (2020), “The Matchmaker” (2021), “Matchmaking” (2022), “Cider and Sunsets” (2022), “The Matchmaker” (2022), “One Perfect Match” (2023), “Jewish Matchmaking” (2023), “Make Me Believe” (2023), “A Bet with the Matchmaker” (2023), “Matchmaking 2” (2024), and “The Matchmakers” (2025), among others – I thought I’d give this one a pass.

Matchmakers? Who would think getting married could be so difficult?

But when I learned that the son of a friend of mine had been the second second assistant director on “Materialists,” I decided to give it a look.

Yes, in addition to its director (Celine Song), “Materialists” has an assistant director, a first assistant director, a second assistant director, and even a second second assistant director (Stephen Coleman).

Steve also worked on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (2017) and the Academy Award-winner “Anora” (2024).

“Materialists” is a quasi-rom-com about a matchmaker caught in a love triangle.

Dakota Johnson (“50 Shades of Grey”) is cast as Lucy, a professional matchmaker. She views relationships as transactions. She’s good at pairing up people … except when it comes to herself.

Here, Lucy meets a “unicorn,” a charming, handsome bachelor (Pedro Pascal of “The Last of Us”), a wealthy private equity manager who would be quite a catch in anybody’s book. Problem is, she’s still hung up on her ex-boyfriend (Chris Evans of “Captain America” fame), a struggling actor who can barely make ends meet as a waiter. The perfect boyfriend versus the imperfect boyfriend.

Sound like fodder for comedy? Not so much.

As one moviegoer warns: “If you’re heading in expecting laughs, you’ll be disappointed. What you get instead is a sharp, quietly melancholic study on modern love, dating, and loneliness in the big city.”

Director-writer Celine Song (“Past Lives”) knows the territory. She’s a former matchmaker herself, able to dive into “the complexities that come with taking such matchups to the next level, including the realistic possibility of sexual harassment and even violence.”

What we get is: “Not a rom-com. Not really even a romance. More of a character study. A mood piece. A quiet critique.”

Another viewer describes it: “This is a film about the emotional numbness that sneaks in when we live our lives through filters – digital and otherwise.”

Dakota Johnson is somewhat one-dimensional as usual. And Pedro Pascal’s character is a tad underdeveloped. However, Chris Evans gives a standout performance, revealing his character’s “unfettered vulnerability with quiet persistence.”

Calling the film “a 21st-Century Look at a Conventional Romantic Triangle,” a diehard fan concludes, “The result is a mixed bag when it comes to the convoluted and sometimes glacially paced way the plot evolves, but when it works, it works. Don’t go in expecting a Julia Roberts/Meg Ryan rom-com throwback. It’s definitely not that.”

As for me, I agree with the viewer who said it’s “a slow-burn romance with a beautiful and meaningful message.”

Email Shirrel: srhoades@aol.com