2025 - THE MATERIALISTS - attempt at a realistic rom-com

The Materialists should get brownie points for attempting a new spin on the romantic comedy.  The film has three very good looking and charismatic leads, the New York locations have been carefully chosen and the performances are very good.  However as realistic as the situations are this is kind of a depressing film.

SPOILERS

Dakota Johnson plays a matchmaker working with high end clients who are looking for a significant other to partner up with.  While attending a wedding of one of her clients, she meets a rich handsome businessman played by the current actor flavor of the month actor Pedro Pascal.  Also at the wedding is Johnson's former boyfriend played by Chris "Captain America" Evans who is  just a poor starving caterer.

Will Dakota chose the rich guy or the former boyfriend who she was once in love with and ended the relationship because he was poor?  Since this is still a rom-com even with a more serious spin than usual for this genre, it's fairly easy to guess where this plot is going to go. 

The problem I have with this film is that the lead character played by Dakota Johnson is such a materialistic cold fish of a human being it's hard to believe anyone would want to be involved with her.  Throughout most of the film she is supposedly attracted to the rich guy because of his money but during the last 15-20 minutes of the film she sees the light and comes down on the side of true love with Captain America.

 

I fully recognize that if Dakota Johnson had picked the rich guy who she isn't in love with over the poor guy who she is in love with the film would not be very appealing for an audience.  However since this is such a cynical film maybe picking the rich guy would have been a more realistic ending.  Instead we have a gooey mess of the "love conquerors all" ending the film finally sinks into. 

The film was written by the director Celine Song, the running time is 117 minutes,