MATERIALISTS: Clean Pedro vs. Grimy Pedro

MATERIALISTS (Blu-ray)

2025 / 116 min

A24

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😽

Another sleeper hit from A24, another opportunity to jump on-board the Pedro Pascal train. Not that it’s a difficult task. The guy is everywhere these days…five movies in 2024 alone, three this year, and lets not forget two of the most high-profile sci-fi TV series of the last 10 years. I imagine Pedro wakes up every morning with a big high-five to himself.

For the most part, he deserves to. Unlike a lot of other actors running the risk of overexposure, Pascal’s track record has been pretty solid and he’s proven to be quite versatile, though my daughter, who has a celebrity crush on him, prefers the gritty, grimy & grizzled Pedro from The Last of Us. Seeing him as sharp-dressed, handsome and wealthy Henry Castillo in Materialists would probably leave her cold.

Despite the collective aesthetic appeal of the cast (which includes Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans), I can kind-of see how Materialists might leave a lot of people cold, especially those expecting the kind of light romantic comedy they're used to. There’s comedy, sure, but it’s understated and ultimately not part of writer-director Celine Song’s playbook. 

It certainly begins like something Julia Roberts used to do in her sleep back in the ‘90s, with Johnson as Lucy Mason, a professional matchmaker whose clients largely consists of entitled rich people with a checklist of physical and/or financial qualities they seek in a potential mate. Lucy’s mathematical approach to matchmaking makes her successful, though she herself isn’t really part of that world. In fact, when she meets charming single bachelor Henry Castillo, Lucy uses her personal analytics to explain why they aren’t compatible (which doesn’t really dissuade him, of course).

Chopsticks, too? Is there anything Pedro can't do?

At roughly the same time, Lucy’s old boyfriend, struggling actor John Pitts (Evans), re-enters her life during a chance meeting. We sense they still love each other, but as seen through flashbacks, she left him because he didn’t meet the same shallow criteria many of her clients demand (and she hates herself for it). Meanwhile, Lucy does begin a relationship with Henry, though it’s obvious she doesn’t actually love him. As love triangles go, the movie takes a few unexpected turns, but it’s sometimes pretty slow going and Lucy isn’t a particularly sympathetic protagonist. I also could have done without the subplot involving one of Lucy’s clients, Sophie (Zoe Winters), and an abusive man she set her up with.

Still, I guess it could be considered a fairly perceptive, mature look at relationships - even if we don’t necessarily relate to some of these people - and the overall performances keep it watchable. Though his character is more of a plot device, fans of “clean” Pedro will enjoy what he brings to the film, while those who love “grimy” Pedro (like my daughter) should give it a pass. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - The Math of Modern Dating: Making Materialists; Composer Deep Dive with Japanese Breakfast.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By writer-director Celine Song.

SIX BEHIND-THE-SCENES POSTCARDS - Standard with all A24 releases.