Materialists (2025) reviews

The Fuzzy Mushroom take on Materialists

By Fuzzy Mushroom · Updated 13 November 2026 · The Pros 76 · The Punters 39 · Spore Score 59 · How we write our takes

Why The Pros rate it higher than The Punters

Few films show a wider gap between critics and audiences than Materialists. The Pros give it 76, The Punters just 39, and the Spore Score sits at 59, with a fuzzy tag. That 37-point gap is largely about expectations. The trailers and the cast sold a glossy romantic comedy, but Celine Song made a quiet, talky film about money, dating and what people are really worth to each other. Critics found that thoughtful. Many viewers who wanted a fun date-night romance felt short-changed.

What it is

Materialists is the second feature from Celine Song, who wrote and directed Past Lives, and it was released by A24 in June 2025. Dakota Johnson plays Lucy, a successful matchmaker in New York who treats love as a set of boxes to tick. She finds herself caught between Harry, a charming and extremely wealthy client played by Pedro Pascal, and John, her broke ex-boyfriend, an actor and waiter played by Chris Evans.

What it does well

Song writes sharp, honest conversations about how dating has become a market, with height, income and age all priced in, and the film takes that idea seriously. Johnson suits the cool, guarded Lucy, and Evans is especially good as a man who has very little to offer except himself. It looks lovely too, with a soft, grown-up New York feel.

Where The Punters have a point

It is not very funny for something sold as a romantic comedy, and the chemistry between the leads is muted by design. A dark subplot involving one of Lucy's clients shifts the tone sharply, and the ending will feel obvious to some and unearned to others.

Who it is for

Fans of Past Lives, and anyone who likes slow, conversation-led films about relationships and class. If you want a light, swoony romcom, look elsewhere.

The Fuzzy Mushroom verdict

Hit and miss, with a Spore Score of 59. A smart, cool-headed film about love and money that critics value far more than audiences, mainly because it is not the film its marketing promised.