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We Are Talking About ‘Materialists' All Wrong
We Are Talking About ‘Materialists' All Wrong

Yahoo

time08-07-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Yahoo

We Are Talking About ‘Materialists' All Wrong

[Editor's note: The following article contains spoilers for Celine Song's 'Materialists,' which is now in theaters.] 'Materialists' has all the goods: An Oscar-nominated auteur, a rom-com heartthrob, a 'Fifty Shades of Grey' alum who happens to be Hollywood royalty, a viral babygirl of the internet who led a video game adaptation, and not one, but two MCU superheroes (well, three, if you don't count the Fox split). More from IndieWire 'The Naked Gun' Trailer: Liam Neeson Takes on Leslie Nielsen's Deadpan Legacy Andy Serkis Says 'Animal Farm' Had to Be Animated: 'You're Freed of Reality' This, as Dakota Johnson's matchmaker Lucy would say, checks all the boxes of being a high concept hit. And yet, writer/director Celine Song subverts it all — and that's the point. Song's sophomore feature 'Materialists' isn't a takedown of the rom-com genre (although IndieWire's Kate Erbland makes a great case that it is). Rather, it's a hollowing out of the notion that all of the attributes and all of the statistics behind selling yourself on the dating market and selling a film to theatergoers, will lead to happiness, love, or audiences spending more at the box office. Lucy (who will assuredly go down as one of Johnson's most iconic characters) tells us this herself onscreen: Being a matchmaker to the elite is like being something as practical as a mortician or as pragmatic as being an insurance claims adjuster. Being a filmmaker within modern Hollywood, especially at big studios where 'art is made by committee,' as Johnson herself has often said, is no different. Non-independent films are made within an algorithm calculated to appeal to wide audiences; Lucy declares that if there is no wide appeal for a person, then they have to work in a 'niche market.' The same can be said for movies today. Song, especially after her beloved feature directorial debut 'Past Lives' thrust her into the festival circuit and awards machine, knows this. And Song is subverting this hard truth by way of wrapping the bow of the 'shiny package' of the rom-com genre tight around audience throats. The genre-bent marketing, thanks to A24's always-brilliant campaigns, wants people to think this film is akin to the latest Aline Brosh McKenna feature. A 'leaked' list of cinematic references for the feature, which includes 'Age of Innocence,' 'Atonement,' 'Phantom Thread,' 'Emma.,' 'Pride & Prejudice,' 'Jerry Maguire,' and 'Terms of Endearment,' reads like a Letterboxd top however many… and that's on purpose. 'Materialists' is not any of those films — not for lack of technique or loftiness or above and below the line talent, but rather for its tone. 'Materialists' serves allusions to 'Devil Wears Prada' (that opening montage), 'You've Got Mail' (that needle drop), and yes, Jane Austen (which rom-com doesn't, to some degree?), but it's more Leslye Headland's 'Bachelorette' than Robert Altman's 'The Player' (also on that list). 'Materialists' isn't about love. It's about profit. It's about greed. It's about Lucy's — and in part, our own — inner monologue that nothing really matters in this facade of society — and Hollywood. 'Materialists' takes a razor blade to the arm of cinema — and it's invigorating. Just as 'Past Lives' isn't a romance, 'Materialists' is a comedy. And a very dark one at that. While Lucy is too busy telling both her 'unicorn' perfect bachelor Harry (Pedro Pascal) and her struggling-actor ex John (Chris Evans) that neither of them actually really 'want' her (the comedy is that, they do!), one of her clients, Sophie (Zoë Winters), has her life devastated by 'romance' gone horribly wrong. For Lucy, love is a game of numbers. For Sophie, it's hell. The contrast, and tonal shift in the moment in which the reveal of what has happened to Zoe is played, will probably shock audiences — not because it's unrealistic, but because it's too real. Reality doesn't belong in rom-coms; fairytales do. Good thing 'Materialists' isn't a rom-com. There is nothing funny about Sophie's assault and subsequent, rightful legal action against Lucy's matchmaking company. There is humor, however, in Lucy being surrounded by identical cheering women who are also in her sorority of peddling soulmates to the soulless as she is told the news. As Lucy's boss (Marin Ireland) reminds her, dating is a risk. Yet the only risk Lucy can fathom before this moment is the financial kind. When Sophie (an absolutely brilliant Winters) later spits that Lucy is a 'pimp,' we can't disagree. Lucy is. We all are. We are all complicit in the profiting off of pain and pleasure, especially in the Hollywood machine. It's a sad truth we already know and try to avoid confronting; Song is just singing it a little louder for us all to hear. 'With this movie, I'm trying to do something different,' Song told IndieWire. 'It's fun to play the game and objectify ourselves and each other. It's catty. But the end of that is going to be dehumanization.' Is it dehumanizing or hilarious when Harry (Pascal) bends six inches lower to show his true height before his leg augmentation surgery? Is it cringe or funny when Lucy is told 'no Black, no fatties' in all seriousness from a client as they name their demands for a mate? Are we supposed to be laughing when Lucy and John break up in front of the Times Square Applebees because he's too 'poor'? Song toys with broken hearts being as interchangeable as being literally financially broke. The ongoing discussion of dowries is part of Lucy's skewed perspective, and 'Materialists' is told by her, through her. Instead of dating dealing solely in the currency of sex, it's about shelter, food, and yes, material goods. Opening the film on cavepeople (another chuckle or WTF moment, depending on who you ask) reinforces that: Humans have always been shallow. Lucy and her clients are no different. It's easy to imagine 'Materialists' set in a future where there are leaderboards with stock market asset evaluations for suitors (again, another real marketing technique by the studio). Or even today, when box office returns and lengths of standing ovations are still breathlessly reported every weekend. 'People are people are people are people,' Lucy says to her boss after complaining that all of her clients are acting like children. They are because she is, because we all are. Song has captured this circular cynicism with her subversive, pun-filled film. The only meaningful transaction here? Buying a ticket to go see it. An A24 release, 'Materialists' is now in theaters. Best of IndieWire The Best Thrillers Streaming on Netflix in June, from 'Vertigo' and 'Rear Window' to 'Emily the Criminal' All 12 Wes Anderson Movies, Ranked, from 'Bottle Rocket' to 'The Phoenician Scheme' Nightmare Film Shoots: The 38 Most Grueling Films Ever Made, from 'Deliverance' to 'The Wages of Fear'

The Onion's Exclusive Interview With Dakota Johnson
The Onion's Exclusive Interview With Dakota Johnson

The Onion

time12-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • The Onion

The Onion's Exclusive Interview With Dakota Johnson

Dakota Johnson stars in Materialists , a new romance from director Celine Song. The Onion sat down with the actress to discuss love, ambition, and what's next. The Onion : What drew you to Materialists ? Johnson: I wanted a free trip to New York City. I'd never been before. It's cute. The Onion : What was it like working with Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans? Johnson: Tough. They kept getting into the trash. You can clap your hands really loudly or try a spray, but face it: If they want to get in, they'll get in. The Onion : Last year, you launched an online book club. What book are you reading now? Johnson: We finished them all! We have moved on to songs. The Onion : How do you prepare for a typical role? Johnson: I practice looking directly at people while simultaneously looking past them. The Onion: What's in your purse? Johnson: More bangs. The Onion : How do you deal with the accusations that you wouldn't be where you are today if it wasn't for your famous family? Johnson: Whenever someone says something like that, I kill one of my parents. The Onion : It's been 10 years since Fifty Shades Of Grey came out. What message do you hope people took from that film? Johnson: That sex is immoral and disgusting. The Onion : What's next for you? Johnson: I'm trying to learn 'walk the dog' on my yo-yo.

How Chris Martin supported ex Dakota Johnson after their split
How Chris Martin supported ex Dakota Johnson after their split

News.com.au

time09-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • News.com.au

How Chris Martin supported ex Dakota Johnson after their split

The love is still there. Chris Martin supported his ex-fiancee, Dakota Johnson, during one of his recent Las Vegas concerts, days after the couple reportedly split. As the dad of two was closing out one of Coldplay's 'Music of the Spheres' world tour shows in Sin City over the weekend, he urged fans to support the actress' forthcoming romantic comedy, Materialists. 'Thank you so much, everybody. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to each other. Don't forget to see Materialists. We love you,' Martin, 48, said before exiting the stage, according to a video obtained by DeuxMoi. In the upcoming film, which is set to be released on June 13, Johnson, 35, stars as Lucy, a young, ambitious New York City matchmaker who finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex. Martin's sweet shoutout comes days after news surfaced that he and the Fifty Shades of Grey actress had broken up after nearly eight years together. A source told People that the break-up felt 'final this time.' An insider told the US Sun that the pair called it quits because of their age gap and the topic of having children. 'They really tried to work through their issues but the age gap was often a problem. She'd [also] expressed that she may want children in the future, whereas Chris is kind of done with that part of his life,' the source told the outlet. The insider told the outlet that Martin – who shares kids Apple, 21, and Moses, 19, with ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow – and Johnson had been 'back and forth on issues for years' and had discussions about everything. The Hymn for the Weekend singer and the Madame Web star began dating in 2017, three years after Martin separated from the Goop founder, 52. Though they were rumoured to have called it quits in June 2019, Johnson was spotted with a massive emerald ring on that finger the following December. An insider told Page Six last March that the pair had actually been engaged for six years.

Dakota Jokes "Madame Web" Flop Was 'Not Her Fault'
Dakota Jokes "Madame Web" Flop Was 'Not Her Fault'

Buzz Feed

time07-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Buzz Feed

Dakota Jokes "Madame Web" Flop Was 'Not Her Fault'

Dakota Johnson is reflecting on the negative reception her film Madame Web was met with last year. The Fifty Shades Of Grey star appeared alongside Sydney Sweeney and The Last Of Us' Isabela Merced in the Spider-Man spin-off, taking the lead as Cassandra Webb. Upon its release, Madame Web was near-unanimously slammed by critics, and was also a bomb at the box office. Asked about the project during a new interview with the LA Times, Dakota quipped: 'It wasn't my fault.' She explained: 'There's this thing that happens now where a lot of creative decisions are made by committee. Or made by people who don't have a creative bone in their body. And it's really hard to make art that way. Or to make something entertaining that way. 'And I think unfortunately, with Madame Web, it started out as something and turned into something else. And I was just sort of along for the ride at that point. But that happens. Bigger-budget movies fail all the time.' 'I don't have a Band-Aid over it,' she claimed. 'There's no part of me that's like, 'Oh, I'll never do that again' to anything. I've done even tiny movies that didn't do well. Who cares?' Shortly after the movie's release, Dakota admitted she was 'not surprised' to see Madame Web being picked apart in the way that it was. 'It was a real learning experience, and of course it's not nice to be a part of something that's ripped to shreds,' she said. 'But I can't say that I don't understand.' Dakota previously told Entertainment Weekly: '[Before Madame Web, I'd] never really done a movie where you are on a blue screen, and there's fake explosions going off, and someone's going, 'Explosion!' and you act like there's an explosion. That to me was absolutely psychotic. 'I was like, 'I don't know if this is going to be good at all! I hope that I did an okay job!'.'

Coldplay's Chris Martin, actress Dakota Johnson break up after almost 8 years
Coldplay's Chris Martin, actress Dakota Johnson break up after almost 8 years

The Star

time06-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • The Star

Coldplay's Chris Martin, actress Dakota Johnson break up after almost 8 years

Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin got together in 2017, making their first public appearance in 2018, and were later reportedly engaged. Photos: Reuters, AFP American actress Dakota Johnson, 35, and English singer-songwriter Chris Martin, 48, have split, according to American magazine People . They started dating in 2017, making their first public appearance in 2018, and were later reportedly engaged. In August 2024, Johnson refuted break-up rumours, assuring they were 'happily together'. But one source told People : 'It feels final this time.' A few weeks ago, the couple were seen walking together in Malibu, United States where they share a home. They were also pictured together taking a stroll in a park in Mumbai, India, back in January, when Coldplay performed their Music Of The Spheres World Tour at DY Patil Stadium. During their eight-year relationship, Johnson developed strong ties with the British rock band frontman's children – Apple and Moses – from his previous relationship with American actress Gwyneth Paltrow. In a 2024 interview, Johnson had said: 'I love those kids like my life depends on it. With all my heart.' The Fifty Shades Of Grey (2015) star was seen on June 4 exiting The Greenwich Hotel in New York City without her engagement ring. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network

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