The dating scene in 2025 is arguably the most broken since the concept was invented. Rather than bringing men and women together, it’s driving them further apart.
Several factors contribute to this mess, but the core issue is clear: men and women are more ideologically divided than ever. Men are trending increasingly conservative, while women lean more liberal. Women’s expectations for a partner—often rooted in superficial criteria—far outstrip men’s, creating a chasm of entitlement and misunderstanding.
Add in the fallout of the Me Too movement, and the dating landscape has become a chaotic disaster. A film like Materialists could have been a biting satire of this very issue, exposing the absurdities of modern romance. Instead, it’s a missed opportunity. Written and directed by Celine Song, the film—told from a woman’s perspective—unintentionally highlights everything wrong with today’s dating scene without critiquing it.
What could have been a sharp takedown becomes a shallow reflection of the problem. The story centers on Lucy Mason (Dakota Johnson), a luxury matchmaker in New York City, one of the epicenters of progressive societal decay. Lucy’s job is to pair high-profile women with the “love of their lives,” boasting a high marriage rate while conveniently glossing over the inevitable divorces.
Her clients obsess over superficial details: a man must earn a certain income, meet a specific height requirement, and check every box on a physical checklist to be deemed “compatible.” If Materialists were a satire, this premise would cut deep. But it’s not. The film plays these dynamics straight, presenting them as normal rather than absurd.
The women in Materialists aren’t seeking love; they’re chasing status symbols through relationships. This transactional approach—where dating is a business deal rather than an emotional connection—mirrors one of the primary reasons modern dating is so broken. People aren’t looking to build partnerships; they’re looking to “be married” for the clout.
The film’s central plot underscores this flaw, trapping Lucy in a Hallmark-style love triangle between her ex-boyfriend (Chris Evans), a good-looking but aimless actor, and a millionaire dreamboat (Pedro Pascal). Pascal’s character feels like a caricature of the overexposed Hollywood heartthrob.
Audiences are growing weary of seeing him in five or six films a year, not to mention his TV roles. His public image—pushed as a redefinition of masculinity through his anxiety, skirt-wearing, and vocal support for his trans sibling—adds an ironic layer to his casting as a “desirable” bachelor.
Meanwhile, Evans, post-Marvel Cinematic Universe, plays yet another burned-out actor, a character who’d be labeled a loser if he didn’t have movie-star looks. The contrast between these men highlights the film’s shallow take on attraction, prioritizing appearances over substance.
Lucy, as written, is the film’s biggest misstep. She’s portrayed as a soulless calculator, viewing relationships through a lens of X’s and O’s rather than emotion. It’s as if Bill Belichick were the protagonist, and audiences were expected to root for him romantically. Her dialogue, like “I don’t want to hate you because you’re poor, and I do, and it makes me hate myself,” lays bare her superficiality.
When she chooses the millionaire, believing he’s “on her level,” only to find the fantasy lacking, she returns to her ex, whom she initially dumped for being too broke. In a Hollywood script, this resolves neatly. In reality, the ex moves on, leaving the woman in a sea of loneliness—a truth the film ignores. Celine Song deserves some credit for capturing the bleakness of dating in a progressive urban hub like New York City.
The film’s backdrop and characters reflect the transactional, status-driven nature of modern romance with unsettling accuracy. However, this authenticity doesn’t make Materialists a good movie. It’s an intriguing character study but fails as a romance, especially for viewers hoping for emotional depth or a spark of hope.
The film’s refusal to critique its own premise leaves it feeling complicit in the very culture it depicts. Materialists could have been a sharp indictment of a broken system, but instead, it’s a glossy endorsement of it.
For those navigating the modern dating hellscape, the film offers little beyond a grim reminder of what they already know: love has been reduced to a checklist, and genuine connection is harder to find than ever.
1.5/5
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