Is 'Materialists' a Rom-Com or a Rom-Dram?

Materialists, which was just released theatrically in the U.S. on June 13, is the latest film by Oscar-nominated director Celine Song (Past Lives) starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal about Lucy (Johnson), a young, ambitious matchmaker in New York City, finding her perfect match in Harry (Pascal), but then her ex-boyfriend John (Evans) re-enters her life. Now she has to choose between the two of them. It’s a classic rom-com set-up against the backdrop of the high standards and specific preferences of New York City’s dating scene, but some may disagree with the "comedy" part of “romantic comedy”.

The film primarily focuses on the romance, building the stakes for Lucy for her ultimate choice. As a result, there’s not much comedy in the narrative, since it wants to take Lucy’s relationships seriously, but the tropes and formulas of the romantic-comedy genre can still be found in Materialists. It’s got the love triangle (a staple of the genre), Lucy has a job that can only be found in a romantic-comedy, and it does in fact have comedy.

Materialists is about the materialistic standards and desires that people have when looking for a partner -- How much does this person make in a year, what is their body type, how old/young are they, etc. Lucy, their matchmaker, listens to these thoughts with no judgment. She validates having standards when looking for a relationship. Characters in Materialists are imperfect and have insecurities, and the film says that's okay. If you're marrying to make your sister jealous or getting leg lengthening surgery so women find you more attractive, hey, just as long as you're happy!

Materialists also treats poverty with sympathy instead of being condescending. John is broke. He attempts to make Lucy happy, but his shortcoming is his finances. Instead of making this an obstacle for John to get over to win back Lucy, it shows that he's just in a hard place trying to chase his dream. Lucy doesn't judge him for being broke; she just wants to live more comfortably than her parents did. This is where Harry comes in to complete the triangle. He can take Lucy to expensive restaurants and go on international trips on a whim. He meets her standards for who she wants to marry, but the chemistry is not there. Even though they check each other's boxes, they don’t have any real love to build on. Like in any good romantic-comedy, despite these troubles and preferences, love wins in the end. The film just reaches this endpoint through a modern dating lens instead of in the typical studio rom-com way, which would’ve been Harry cheating and now Lucy has to run through the airport to get to John before it’s too late. Instead they have honest conversations about what they want and where they can meet one another.

"We’re making a romantic film," says Song. "So much of it has to do with how one conversation between two people can completely change that relationship. And also in doing so, how each of them see themselves."

Perhaps the biggest critique about Materialists is its tone. Some say it’s not much of a romantic-comedy but instead a romantic-drama. The film doesn’t have as much levity and laughs as your standard romantic-comedy might. Materialists tackles more serious topics, such as safety in dating, sexual assault, and stalking. It handles these topics with the seriousness they need. It also follows the trajectories of Lucy's relationships and feelings towards John and Harry. If these were taken lightly, it would not have any weight. This is something that Celine Song excels at -- yearning looks and intimate conversations. Scenes in Past Lives and Materialists oftentimes feel like moments we shouldn’t be watching. It’s what made Past Lives so positively received by audiences, and it works greatly here too.

All of this to say, it is comedic -- it's just more dry in tone than one may usually expect from a romantic-comedy. Some of our favorite comedic moments include: the older man who will only date 20-year-olds; when Lucy is being told to go on break from work, meanwhile in the background the office is celebrating and then they burst into the room and the boss joins in; the leg lengthening surgery (which, when initially brought up, got a huge laugh in my theater); and after John’s play when Harry’s only compliment to John is, “How’d you learn all of those lines?” But our favorite is when Lucy shows up to John’s apartment but is not let in because it’s a mess, so John comes down in what is clearly his best and only clean shirt he has just to impress her.

Materialists is a refreshing romantic comedy for our modern day. It’s a compelling, contemplative look at people’s worth in the dating world, the dangers of modern dating, and how dating has evolved over the years. Most rom-coms strictly believe that true love is the only factor, but Materialists looks at dating and marriage as an equation. Lucy brings up dowries, a thing that probably still exists in certain relationships and regions but aren’t regularly discussed in everyday marriage conversations. The film discusses this matchmaking equation bluntly at times. Lucy is dealing with her clients' happiness while also trying to find her own. The film uses Lucy’s job to let her come to a revelation with her own matchmaking and believes in looking for love above all of that, not someone who checks all the boxes. It just takes a more romantic approach than the usual romantic-comedy. All of this leads to naturally funny moments -- not slapstick or situational, but background bits or character-based. That’s how it fulfills the "comedy" in "romantic-comedy".