'Materialists': A Glossy Look at Modern Love That Falls Emotionally Flat

Materialists wants to be a sharp, stylish exploration of modern dating, where status, salary, and social currency often matter more than emotional connection. With a cast led by Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal, the film sets itself up for a juicy love triangle filled with charm, tension, and commentary on today’s relationship economy.

But for a movie so focused on chemistry and class, it struggles to make either feel real.

Johnson plays Lucy, a gorgeous, once-aspiring actress turned matchmaker who spends more time analyzing other people’s love lives than figuring out her own. On the same night at a wedding for a couple whom she set up via her matchmaking company, she meets a charming, loaded finance guy (Harry, played by a suave but somehow underwhelming Pedro Pascal), she also runs into her ex-boyfriend (John, played by Chris Evans) who, despite his good looks, is still struggling to find a consistent job and has just $2,000 in his bank account.

The setup has potential. There’s honesty in showing that many modern relationships are transactional, messy, and built on impossible standards. And sure, it’s refreshing to see a film that admits things like income and fertility timelines do affect how people date in the real world. But Materialists takes a dry, almost clinical approach to all of it, and what could’ve been cutting feels choppy and hollow.

Dakota Johnson gives a monotoned, physical performance. Her scenes have a potential rawness that suggests there’s something deeper beneath Lucy’s polished exterior, but her dialogue leans more self-loathing than savvy and emotionless.

Pedro Pascal plays Harry with his usual warmth and vulnerability, and while his presence adds a layer of charm, I still didn’t find myself rooting for him. He, like every other character, feels emotionally muted.

Chris Evans, meanwhile, struggles to make John a compelling romantic lead. There’s no real heat between him and Johnson, which makes their supposed second-chance story fall flat. His performance, full of lovesick monologues, doesn’t quite match what could have been. When Evans and Johnson are onscreen, we should feel something. Instead, it’s mostly underwhelming.

The film tries to say something bold. That modern dating is broken, that people are shallow, selfish, and classist, and that love is just another transactional game we play. But it never digs deep enough to make those points resonate.

And worse, it falls into its own trap. When a character breaks up with someone for valid reasons (constant fights over money, a mismatch in lifestyle), and then goes right back without any real growth or change, it’s not romantic. It’s frustrating.

At best, Materialists is a glossy mood board of modern romance and messy choices. But if you’re looking for a love story with real heart, or characters that feel lived-in, you might want to swipe left.