CELINE Song’s Materialists is not your average romantic comedy and that is by design. Set amid New York City’s gilded dating ecosystem, it swaps out laugh-out-loud moments for subtle smirks and eyebrow raises, anchoring its narrative in the gritty realism of class, expectations and the deeply unfunny side of falling in love. Think of it less as a romcom and more of a rom-dram with side-eye.
Starring Dakota Johnson as Lucy, an emotionally walled-off matchmaker who treats love like a luxury commodity, the film unfolds through carefully curated interactions that feel equal parts intimate and transactional. Enter Chris Evans as the dreamer with a day job and Pedro Pascal as the six-figure suitor with everything, except, perhaps, actual chemistry. The casting trio might seem like a thirst trap, but viewers who show up just for the eye candy will stay for the existential dread disguised as romantic revelation.
