Materialists review: Jane Austen would totally approve of Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal’s modern rom-com

It’s a bold move to create a modern female romantic hero who is unapologetically in it for the money.

When Lucy (Dakota Johnson) says her one non-negotiable in marriage is the man has to be rich, she says it so matter-of-factly. There’s no shame in her manner, only assuredness.

Materialists does not judge her for it. It does not paint her as a gold digger or as some shallow good-time girl. Because there is an uncomfortable truth to what Lucy wants.

Don’t we all have points on our list, even if we don’t say it aloud to our nearest and dearest?

They must be funny, they must be smart, they must be educated, they must earn at least this much money (or “they must be ambitious”), they must be this tall or this short, or they must be hot (or “I must be attracted to them”).

We might think we’ve evolved from the times of yore when marriages were business transactions that joined two family farms or firms, but it’s merely evolved.

We judge potential partners with a quick swipe to the left or right with little thought beyond the most surface-level considerations. In our rush to fulfil the ultimate fantasy - romantic love - are we honest enough about how we go about it?

Lucy is a professional matchmaker. She sees every potential suitor as a list of boxes to tick – income, education, family background, political values, physical attributes. People are assigned value depending on their material and intangible assets.

Her worldview is based on the idea that there’s a formula, a set of numbers, and she knows just what to say to a bride-to-be who’s getting cold feet.

When she meets Harry (Pedro Pascal), she’s certain she’s not a match for him. He’s stupendously wealthy and has a $12 million apartment in Tribeca, comes from a good family, is kind and attentive, and is seriously hot. He’s a unicorn, she tells him.

If she were to match him up with someone, it would be someone younger than her, with more birthing years left. But Harry, whose mother wants him to marry, wants Lucy.

There’s also John (Chris Evans), Lucy’s ex-boyfriend who, at almost 40 years old, is still an aspiring theatre actor who mostly works as a cater waiter. He lives in a rundown flat with two housemates, one of whom leaves dirty condoms on the floor in the kitchen.

Materialists is a classic love triangle, but it cleverly draws on the tradition of Jane Austen in constructing a winning film about romantic ideals through the practical realities of the world in which we live.

The film works because writer and director Celine Song created Lucy to be someone who we understand and can relate to, and because what she says she values reflects something deep in all of us.

The story itself, and its progression, is not the most revolutionary but there is great pleasure in seeing it executed so well. The characters hum with energy, and New York City and their place in it feels vibrant and alive.

For all of its talk about finance and suitability, Materialists is not cynical about love. It’s actually very sincere and hopeful, and becomes a film that reflects the optimistic and best parts of our pursuit of a fantasy.

Song’s debut feature, Past Lives, was a film of quiet intensity in which stolen glances and interiority ring louder than words, and it was smart that she didn’t try to just do more of the same with her second.

Materialists, while working with some thematic similarities is a very different movie, a balance of throwback rom-com and modern love story. It’s also a chattier film, and the words flow with a rhythmic cadence.

It doesn’t have the same personal resonance of Past Lives but it’s wonderful to see Song showcase another side to her talent, which is that is she can deftly craft a seductive, zippy, and, dare we say it, more accessible love story that, beneath the surface, has some profound insights about romance.

It’s a date.

Rating: 4/5

Materialists is in cinemas