Celine Song's Materialists (2025) | Film Review

Materialists (2025) | Review by Film Probe 

Pedro or Chris? Which one will she pick? All joking aside, ‘Materialists’ is a film which has truly touched me. I felt utterly seen by this film, as a cynical girl myself I felt as though Celine was talking directly to my heart. 

A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex.

‘Materialists’ is a story of self discovery disguised as a love story, love is merely a player or a distraction in the bigger game of life. ‘Materialists’ tackles the notion of expectation vs reality, it challenges the idea of following your head over your heart. Human beings try to apply math or logic to something which can only be felt, love is so much deeper than height, attractiveness or material assets and this film intelligently and poetically reminds you of this. 

Lucy, a cynical matchmaker who describes soul mates as grave buddies, finds herself in the centre of a love triangle. 

Her logical and detached approach to love is refreshing, she didn’t get swept off her feet, this was not your typical Hollywood romance. 

Materialists (2025) is a character story, a dialogue heavy plot that brings to light our growing concerns and priorities with money and possessions. ‘Materialists’ doesn’t conform to the rom-com genre instead, it attempts to dismantle it by bringing to light the expectations we have of one another. 

The characters are realistic, relatable and their actions are inherently human. Some may argue ‘Materialists’ is predicable but this film isn’t trying to surprise you or shock you. Instead, it wants to remind you to trust our instinct and stop letting societies influence change you. ‘Materialists’ is a human story about following your heart and leaving judgement or prejudice at the door. 

The love triangle dynamic is something writer, director Celine Song understands. She was able to convey the differences between both men not just through dialogue but through visuals and setting. When Chris Evans’ John interacts with Lucy everything goes still and quiet, as though they are the only people in the world. When she interacts with Pedro’s Harry, the frame is noisy both through sound and visuals - surrounded by his opulence and glamour. 

They represent two ends of the spectrum when it comes to dating but Celine also uses them to represent societal and financial differences, these pressures of life can interfere with love and cloud our judgement. 

Materialists is a film that goes deeper into the female psyche than your regular love story, it cleverly plays with stereotypes and reminds us on the one hand how cruel and judgemental we are to one another but also ourselves. 

Personally, I felt like Celine Song was speaking directly to my heart. Materialists (2025) may appear to be a simple, predictable love story but that only scratches the surface. Materialists (2025) is a film which speaks to the modern world of dating, I was inspired by these characters, I was moved by them and I genuinely identified with the realistic, often harsh, approach to love and life.

Probe Points

★★★★

...

Finally, I want to say it’s childish to resort a film like this to 'broke' propaganda. You can watch this film for its attractive cast and its dazzling outfits, be shocked by Lucy’s decisions but I fear you are missing the whole point of the film.