Tales & Tomes

Film Basics

• Title: Materialist
• Director: Celine Song
• Runtime: ~2 hrs (Netflix release)
• Genre: Romantic Drama | Tragicomedy
• Starring: Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, Dacre Montgomery, Zoë Kravitz, and more

Spoiler-Free Synopsis

Materialist follows Lucy (Dakota Johnson). She is a woman at the crossroads of ambition, desire, and loyalty. She also contends with the weight of her own longings. Two men from vastly different chapters of her life re-enter her orbit. Julian (Chris Evans) is a charmingly stable presence. Mateo (Pedro Pascal) is a beautifully complicated flame from her past. Lucy finds herself confronting not only what she wants in love, but who she has become in the process.

The film blends romance with emotional tension. It explores the tug-of-war between the right person at the wrong time and the lives we build. This happens when we’re unsure which version of ourselves to choose.

Review (Spoilers Included)

What immediately drew me into Materialist was the chemistry of the cast. Let’s be honest… everyone in this movie looks stunning. Dakota Johnson slips comfortably into a role that feels written for her soft complexity: quiet, layered, searching. Pedro Pascal brings his signature emotional gravity, making Mateo both gentle and heartbreaking. And Chris Evans? Well, you can never go wrong just looking at Chris Evans.

One of the strongest themes, right person, wrong time, hit me harder than I expected. There’s a painful honesty in watching characters who love deeply. They can’t align their lives to make the timing work. It mirrored parts of my own life, which made certain moments feel almost too real.

The movie’s most pivotal conflict emerges when Lucy spirals. She must choose between certainty or chasing the possibility of something that once mattered. She isn’t sure it still fits her. The choices she makes aren’t clean; they’re messy and flawed in a very human way. That’s where the movie shines. It knows that real love doesn’t always look pretty. Sometimes it’s confused. Sometimes it’s selfish. Sometimes it’s longing for versions of ourselves we’re not anymore.

Some scenes lean heavily into the melodrama. But even when the story faltered, the cast carried it effortlessly.

Favorite Scene

The wedding-crashing scene stole the entire movie for me. It was whimsical, chaotic, and morally questionable in exactly the way romantic films thrive on. There’s this electric tension, everyone knowing it’s wrong, but it also feels so right in the moment. It’s messy, bold, and emotionally charged in a way that sticks with you long after the film ends.

Recommendation

If you enjoy romantic dramas with layered emotional stakes, you should watch Materialist. The film features beautiful actors and explores stories about timing, identity, and imperfect choices. It’s worth your time.

If melodrama or romantic chaos isn’t your vibe, this might feel a little heavy-handed at times. The performances alone make it a solid entry in the genre. It’s also a satisfying emotional escape for anyone who’s ever fallen in love at the wrong moment.