Materialists

Lucy Mason (Dakota Johnson) has one of those jobs you only ever see in a romantic comedy: She’s a brilliant, tactical matchmaker. She’s got it down to a cold science: How similar are they economically? Are they on an equal playing field in terms of attractiveness? How tall is he? How much money does he make? What does she do for a living? How old is she? These are the most important things to determine because, as she says, marriage is a business transaction. Dating all the way back to the very first couple that ever got married, there was something mutually beneficial to both parties in the arrangement.

Things get complicated for Lucy when she meets Harry (Pedro Pascal), a man in Lucy’s industry who would be called a “unicorn” because, on paper, he’s as rare and impossible as happening upon a unicorn in the wild. He’s loaded. He’s handsome. He’s smart and educated. He dresses well. She wants to recruit him as a client for her matchmaking business, but he wants her. They date, and the dates go well, but Lucy is hung up on her ex-boyfriend, whose path keeps intertwining with hers in unexpected ways.

Her ex, John (Chris Evans), is completely unlike Harry. He dresses like a slob. He doesn’t have money. His car is constantly on the verge of breaking down. And he has a million awful roommates. Because of this, because of his lack of ambition in life, they broke up. She wanted more, and he never seemed interested in getting those things for her, so they grew apart, even though it’s clear that they still have very strong feelings for each other.

When I was a little boy, I used to hate romantic comedies. I thought of them as “girl stuff”. Yuck! I was surprised to find that my dad, who liked westerns and shoot-em-ups, had a soft spot for the rom-com genre. He explained that it didn’t matter if the plot was stupid, because they often were, because the most important thing at the center is the chemistry between the leads. Chemistry, this indescribable je ne sais quoi, is the secret ingredient to a romantic movie. Look at a movie like Overboard. If you think about the plot for more than ten seconds, it’s clearly problematic and gross. But Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn have such a palpable chemistry together, none of that other stuff matters. The way they riff, the way they carry on a scene together, it’s everything.

The issue with Materialists is that there is no on-screen chemistry between any of the leads. The dynamic between Lucy and Harry comes close, because Pedro Pascal has such a wonderful charisma, but it only goes so far. And the scenes between Lucy and John only ever feel real during the flashbacks in which they’re fighting and bickering about money. The movie is so preoccupied with subverting tropes and cliches that it forgets the importance of its own story.

At the end of it, when all is said and done, Materialists is a surprisingly icky, loveless affair. It reduces men and women to caricatures that are interested only in the shallowest aspects of the opposite sex. Still, then, as if to have its cake and eat it, too, it pulls the rug out from under us and throws in the power of “true love” in all its intangibility. It doesn’t really matter how tall a guy is—seriously, what is up with this movie’s obsession with men’s height—or how much money he has, all that matters is if they love each other. It all feels very forced. It would have been truer to the film to have remained on its cynical path, because at least then it would have said something interesting, instead of the same messaging, repackaged with a new bow on top.

Materialists is a frustrating film, one that has a lot to admire about the technical craft that went into it, but feels constantly hobbled by its screenplay, which feels the need to reconstruct every one of its deconstructions. It wants to be a satire, but it also wants to be the real deal. Every attempt to ground its rom-com leanings in the real world winds up reverting to its original state. It all feels just as cold and cynical as Lucy’s scientific formula for finding success in dating.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
Materialists ties the knot on Blu-ray in a single-disc release in a rigid, hard case that opens to the side. The interior case is decorated with screenshots from the movie, and a sleeve opposite the disc contains postcards with behind-the-scenes photos of the film’s production.

Materialists was shot on 35mm film and is presented in 1080p high-definition for this Blu-ray release. Cinematographer Shabier Kirchner nails that Nancy Meyers look, that soft white in the set design, where everything is immaculately placed. Every room looks like a shrine dedicated to its own perfection. Details are razor sharp and colors are vividly realized, with a fine layer of film grain throughout. Skin tones look healthy, with just the right amount of red to them. Truly, Materialists is a good-looking film.

Viewers are treated to a Dolby Atmos audio option. It’s not tremendously different than a typical 5.1 surround mix, as overhead effects aren’t terribly frequent, but it’s a damn fine mix all the same. Surround channel activity, such as the rears and the sides, is at a nearly constant level through ambient effects like the hustle and bustle of New York City. Daniel Pemberton’s score, which feels inspired by Air’s score from Lost in Translation, gets the most benefit from the Atmos treatment. Swelling musical crescendos start off at the front of the soundstage and then, as the pitch grows higher and higher, makes its way to the top and rear of the soundstage. Dialogue clarity is favored throughout, crystal clear and easily audible.

Special features on this disc are a bit limited, really just containing three supplements: An audio commentary and a pair of featurettes. The commentary is informative, though, and the features do a decent job at providing insight into the film’s themes and production history.

• Audio Commentary - Celine Song
• The Math of Modern Love (HD 16:46) - Making-of Featurette
• Composer Deep Dive (HD 10:56) - With Japanese Breakfast

While I wasn’t won over by Materialists, it’s hard to deny its appeal. It’s well-made, particularly in its visual presentation, having been shot on 35mm film. It poses some interesting questions not only about the formula of well-worn story tropes, but about human attraction itself. It, unfortunately, provides viewers with too many easy answers that seem to contradict its more serious tone. Celine Song’s newest feature looks and sounds terrific and might just give you something to think about. Materialists is Worth a Look. 

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