Materialists
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M, 117 minutes
4 Stars
The dreamy, introspective relationship drama, Past Lives, was so successful several years ago with an Oscar nomination that the challenge of creating a follow-up feature would have been a daunting task.
Not for Canadian writer-director Celine Song, who has landed on her feet again with this sharp relationship drama set in the world of modern dating.
Materialists is a three-cornered romantic drama with a smart, ambitious young matchmaker, Lucy (a sparkly Dakota Johnson), who works at Adore, a dating agency in New York that aims high. It promises to match singles with the love of their life, no less.
She hasn't found hers yet and says she is celibate at the moment, but there is an ex (Chris Evans) who she still has feelings for, while someone very rich and tall, dark and handsome who has also just appeared in her life. Harry (Pedro Pascal) checks all the boxes - such a rare catch.
Pascal (a lead in The Last of US TV series) has the unenviable role of playing the unicorn, the perfect man who scores the highest on the measures that count, namely physical attractiveness and financial worth.
He's genial, with an old-fashioned matinee idol look, complete with Burt Reynolds moustache, that is vaguely amusing.
While Lucy is waiting for the perfect match herself, we can see she's a skilled negotiator who has a way with words.
We see her in action as she tries to convince a reluctant bride out of the bedroom where she has stalled, weeping. Flattery works a charm, and the wedding goes ahead.
Brother of the groom Harry is at the event too, and introduces himself to Lucy at the singles table. He is smooth and confident, and works in finance.
At precisely the moment they are making each other's acquaintance, Lucy's ex-boyfriend John (Evans) delivers her drink order. He is on the wait staff, serving guests at the function, and he is neither smooth nor wealthy.
Yet, with effortless ease, Evans brings a sweet, natural presence as John. His character is an aspiring actor, taking waitering work on the side to get by, and his private life is a shambles with two guys who are serious slackers sharing his apartment.
Despite the perils of having high-profile actors like Pascal and Evans (Captain America in the Avengers) in a romantic relationship drama like this, the dynamics are convincing, the light comedy effective.
It's nicely balanced with the film's critique of the dating business and of assessing partners "by doing the math", played out in the sharp exchanges between characters, especially Harry and Lucy. They get right to the point.
While the business of matchmaking is brought into sharp focus every now and then, the difficulties of finding partners in a hard, fast urban world of anomie are acknowledged too.
What is the average punter to do? Why not trust a dating agency to find the love of your life?
Moreover, there are difficult clients who lack self-awareness. A couple of montages make the point here. A gallery of random male clients at the Adore interview stating their preferences for dating much younger women, while a montage of female clients reveals how difficult it is to work with people in this intimate area. And then there are some clients who present a serious risk.
While screenwriter Song has done some serious thinking about these things, her three lead actors contribute engaging performances to carry it off. With lively, mobile features and a natural, gamine presence that grounds her character, Johnson brings her familiar vibrant presence.
It is easy to understand why matchmakers are sought in traditional societies where young adults have only restricted access to prospective partners.
And today, it is fascinating to observe how the pace and anonymity of city life have seen matchmaking become a thriving business and online dating the name of the game.
