Modern dating, love, and self-worth in Celine Song’s Materialists

Source: A24 Films LLC

Disclaimer: this article contains spoilers for ‘Materialists’. 

Many film fans and A24 enthusiasts will remember the name Celine Song from 2023’s Past Lives, a wonderful romance-drama viewed by many as one of the year’s best films. So, when the trailer for Song’s next film comes out, which was marketed rather differently, as a rom-com and love triangle of sorts, I was naturally curious about what the end product would look like. The film hit theatres and was met with a mixed reception, featuring a more conventional plot and an ending audiences could possibly see coming from watching the trailer. But while I don’t think that Materialists is quite as special as Past Lives, it’s still a really touching film with a lot to say about modern dating and self-worth. 

Our story is set in New York City. Lucy (played by Dakota Johnson) is a matchmaker, who has just set up her 9^th marriage. Her clients have lists of traits that they want in a partner, typically associated with height, weight, age, and income. Lucy is meant to set these people up with someone who ticks their boxes. She is trying to please her clients by accommodating to their wholly unrealistic requests. But Lucy is also victim to this mindset, as she explains to one of her colleagues that she wants to settle down with someone who is disgustingly rich. They also talk about 200,000-dollar height-extension surgery, which would greatly increase a man’s “value in the market”. 

It seems that for many of our characters, finding a partner has been reduced to ticking check boxes. With an exclusive dating market that you essentially must buy your way in to; where do people like Lucy’s ex: John (played by Chris Evans) fit in? We see a flashback - the breakup scene between them, where Lucy expresses her frustration when he refuses to park his car in a paid spot before their anniversary meal. “Do you know how hard it is to make you happy?” he sighs. Part of John’s low self-worth is tied to the fact that he essentially cannot “afford” Lucy. So, when she makes advances on him later when they find themselves at someone else’s wedding, he rightly asks her if they’re getting back together. She says that she’s not sure. For John, he feels like he’s being reminded about what he could have but can’t get. 

Source: A24 Films LLC 

At one of her clients’ weddings, Lucy has a conversation with Harry, the groom’s brother (played by Pedro Pascal). He is very wealthy and has undergone the aforementioned height-extension surgery (as we later learn). But the very revelation of the fact that Harry went through with this surgery demonstrates to the audience that all our characters are dealing with similar insecurities here. Harry feels as if his value as a man has greatly increased after the surgery, which is clearly a luxury most people wouldn’t be able to afford. John believes that his value is limited to the fact that he can’t be with who he loves due to his financial position.  

Lucy and Harry go on several dates before ending things. According to Lucy’s dating model, Harry is a “unicorn”, basically meaning he is a perfect match. So why doesn’t their relationship they work out? 

Earlier, when Harry meets Lucy, he is filled with curiosity about Lucy’s occupation and asks her some questions. “You must know a lot about love.”, he says to her. She denies this claim, telling him that she knows about dating. “What’s the difference?” Harry asks, claiming that he finds love to be incredibly hard, while she explains that it’s dating which is the challenge, love, on the other hand, is easy. Harry’s father makes a speech at the wedding. “When you get lost… the answer is simple. Just go where love is.” he insists. This sentiment is echoed many times throughout the film. When Lucy goes back to Harry’s apartment, they kiss and go to the bedroom, but the camera lingers in the hallway and focuses on her phone, which is ringing. It’s John. I believe it’s clear that deep down, she knows the answer.  

At the wedding Lucy and John end up at, they ruminate about partnership. “Why does anybody even get married?”, John asks. It’s a beautiful scene filled with dialogue discussing the risks and possibilities of failure in marriage (and in relationships in general). Many of the best scenes in this film are like this, just characters opening up to each other. It’s refreshing to see. It’s clear that Lucy still loves John, but she’s worried her materialistic nature will get in the way. 

There’s a sense of hopelessness that many of the characters face. When things end between Lucy and Harry, Harry wonders if he’s even capable of love. Out of Lucy’s many clients, there’s one the film focuses on. Lucy reassures her twice in the film, both times by promising her that she will find the love of her life. The first time she says this, it is after her client has been rejected by a match after going on a date. But when she says it again towards the end of the film, it’s coming from a personal place. “When you get lost… the answer is simple. Just go where love is.”. John promises that he will set a repeated calendar reminder that he loves Lucy. She understands the importance of this. 

The final scene involves John proposing to Lucy with a flower ring like the one that the cave people proposed to each other at the beginning of the film. It’s incredibly on the nose, but I think it’s equally wonderful. Love, as described in the film as the last religion, has not been lost among all the modern noise. We just have to fight for it.