After Past Lives, Celine Song returns with Materialists, an American romantic comedy starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans. Released in theaters on July 2, 2025, the film will be available on VOD starting October 30, 2025. Materialists explores the tension between material comfort and true love in a refined and disenchanted New York City.
Directed by Celine Song, the feature film follows a young woman torn between a comfortable life with a wealthy man and the fickle passion of a penniless former lover. A modern take on the quest for romantic happiness in the age of emotional capitalism.
Check out the first images in the official trailer:
In this contemporary romantic comedy, Lucy Mason (Dakota Johnson), a New York matchmaker, is an expert at other people's love stories but fails to manage her own. Her daily life is torn between Harry Castillo (Pedro Pascal), a wealthy and attractive financier, and John Finch (Chris Evans), her more sincere but unstable ex-boyfriend. This love triangle reflects the inner conflict of a generation torn between romantic ideals and material security.
Materialists
Film | 2025 | 1 hr 50 mins
Released on VOD on October 30, 2025
Released in theaters on July 2, 2025
Original title: Materialists
Nationality: United States
Synopsis: A woman embarks on a relationship with a wealthy man, but still has feelings for a broke actor-waiter.
Directed and written by Celine Song, Materialists (2025) is a contemporary romantic comedy, but with a more adult, critical, and formally elegant ambition. Bringing together Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans, the film explores the mechanics of emotion in the age of emotional capitalism and ironically questions how love is negotiated in the privileged circles of New York. It's a promise that is as seductive as it is perilous, delivered in its staging but held back by a certain emotional coldness.
The story follows Lucy Mason (Dakota Johnson), a brilliant and aloof New York matchmaker who seems to understand love better in other people's lives than in her own. At the heart of this picture are Harry Castillo (Pedro Pascal), a magnetic and refined financier, and John Finch (Chris Evans), her ex-partner, a drifting actor who exudes disarming sincerity in contrast to his rival's opulence. The love triangle thus established develops in a linear narrative punctuated by flashbacks, symbolic condensations of their past breakup, where love collapses in the face of precariousness.
The narrative dynamic alternates between matchmaking scenes with sharp dialogue and more contemplative moments of solitude. The slow, almost theatrical pace is intended to be introspective, far removed from the nervous tempo of classic rom-coms. This formal choice fuels the film's critical intent, which takes an incisive look at the reduction of relationships to monetary values: income, status, size, possessions. However, this satire of "sentimental capitalism" struggles to hold up over the long haul, sometimes fading behind a too-wise structure that reactivates the genre's conventions in spite of itself.
A subplot revolving around an assaulted client could have anchored the film in a more urgent feminist issue. Unfortunately, its treatment is deemed too abrupt and instrumentalized, never going beyond an illustrative narrative function. This lack of emotional anchoring is also reflected in the main characters' trajectories.
CinematographerShabier Kirchner infuses the story with a precious aesthetic: a New York filmed like a luxury set, bathed in golden light, populated by impeccable costumes and uncluttered spaces. Daniel Pemberton's musical score underlines this visual sophistication with notes that are both subtle and dramatic, embracing Lucy's inner ambiguity without ever overpowering it.
Dakota Johnson delivers a taut, masterful performance, just like her character: icy, distant, almost clinical in her approach to love. Her portrayal is convincing, but contributes to the veil of hushed emotion that envelops the film. Pedro Pascal displays his usual charm, but his character remains a projection rather than an individuality: a fantasy of power and security. As for Chris Evans, he brings a certain raw truth to the role of John, but struggles to create any credible romantic tension with his two partners. Only Zoë Winters, in a secondary role, manages to inject some frank emotion during a difficult scene that gives the film an unexpected moment of humanity.
This lack of chemistry between the members of the love triangle weakens the emotional anchoring of the story. The viewer often remains at a distance, more a spectator of a social demonstration than a witness to a sentimental upheaval. Even the key flashback, supposed to condense five years of relationship into a single scene, lacks any dramatic breath. The break-up between Lucy and John, motivated by their past poverty, is sketched out so dryly that it loses its symbolic power.
Ultimately, Materialists will appeal to audiences who enjoy intelligent, aestheticized romances, capable of reading between the lines to find social commentary on love, gender, and class. Those who appreciate reflective contemporary fiction, with polished dialogue and a refined atmosphere, will find something to enjoy here. On the other hand, fans of raw emotions, passionate tension, or heartwarming stories may be left wanting more. The film thinks a lot, speaks well, but doesn't always make you feel what it's exposing.
To go further, check out our selection of October VOD releases, our guide to releases on all platforms, and today's selection of What to watch today on streaming.
