Materialists: Love Is Never Just About Love

Release Date：Jun/13/2025

Genre：Feel-Good Romance/Romantic Comedy/Comedy/Romance

Director：Celine Song

Cast：Dakota Johnson、Chris Evans、Pedro Pascal、Zoe Winters、Marin Ireland、Dasha Nekrasova

Viola's Rating：7.2

Pedro Pascal has recently been appearing on the big screen as Prince Charming. From Mr. Fantastic in Fantastic Four: First Steps to the affluent single noble in Materialists, he’s trying everything to allure audiences into falling in love with him. Released in the US on June 13, 2025, Materialists is still running strong in theaters.

Targeting those confused about their relationships, this feel-good romantic comedy tells the story of ambitious New York City matchmaker Lucy (Dakota Johnson), who finds herself torn between her perfect match, Harry (Pedro Pascal), and her imperfect ex, John (Chris Evans).

Dating has long been part of human social culture. Everyone wants to find their perfect match, but hidden risks always come with it. Sometimes it’s just unrequited love, while other times it can lead to something more damaging, like an abusive relationship. Materialists doesn’t paint a glamorous, rosy picture of love, but digs into the core of relationships, providing genuine food for thought.

As the title suggests, the protagonist Lucy is a materialist, but then again, aren’t we all to some extent? Everyone values different things in life. As the saying goes, “Bread is the head of love.” Bread, or financial security, is the foundation of happiness in love. All wealth without love, or all love without money, are fairy tales that only exist in feature films. True to its name, Materialists realistically portrays real-life dilemmas.

Today, whether through dating agencies like the one in Materialists or through trending dating apps, everyone is essentially a product on display for others to browse. People often joke that blind dates are for men who don’t know how to deal with women, to match them with the most difficult women, and vice versa. But the truth is, every product has the potential to be chosen, as long as it’s shown to the right consumer.

Matchmaking has always been a business. From ancient Europe, where royals and nobles arranged marriages to form political alliances, to modern times, people have always sought those they consider worthy. Many accuse people who can’t find partners of being “too picky,” but haven’t we always been told not to settle? And if we truly believe our ideal partner exists, of course we’d try our best to find them.

Materialists perfectly captures the wheat field theory: people change, and their perfect match changes with them. Someone who didn’t seem right for us before may become perfect later. Meeting the right person at the right time is, without doubt, the key to happiness in love. This film may not be the perfect Valentine’s watch, but it is definitely worth seeing. As The Perks of Being a Wallflower reminds us, “We accept the love we think we deserve.” May everyone find the love of their life.

Picture: IMDb