Latest news with #MATERIALISTS
Herald Sun
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Herald Sun
Materialists: Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal fizzle in new rom-com
Don't miss out on the headlines from Movies. Followed categories will be added to My News. Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal make Materialists fabulous to look at – but the movie doesn't quite know what it wants to be. Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal in the Materialists. MATERIALISTS (M) **1/2 General release. Purely on the basis of the talent assembled, Materialists should have been a hit in every sense of the word. First of all, you've got just about the best-looking love triangle possible: a radiant Dakota Johnson (as a fancypants New York professional matchmaker) pondering which of the duelling dreamboats Pedro Pascal (rich, tall and handsome) or Chris Evans (broke, tall and handsome) should ultimately prove worthy of her affections. Secondly, behind the cameras, you have filmmaker Celine Song, who wowed audiences worldwide in 2023 with her multi-Oscar-nominated romantic drama Past Lives. However, for a multitude of reasons, Materialists can only find fizzle where the sizzle should be. While hardly unwatchable, the movie seems perpetually unsure about what it wants to be. Sometimes it is an undeniably likeable, if lightweight romantic comedy. At other times, it aspires to something heavier, as it explores the same storytelling planes traversed by Past Lives. Most viewers will quickly pick up on Materialists' tentative tendencies, and become all the more frustrated with the obvious uncertainty on display. Elio (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) and his alien buddy Glordon (voiced by Remy Edgerly) in Pixar's Elio. ELIO (PG) Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi Starring: the voices of Zoe Saldana, Yonas Kibreab, Brad Garrett, Shirley Henderson. ***1/2 Finding a better place in outer space In recent times, younger audiences have been both underestimated and underserviced by the major movie studios. However, the box-office figures of 2025 so far suggest the tide may finally be turning for the better. A majority of the biggest releases of the year have delivered the goods to kids in all the right ways. If children weren't already spoiled for choice right now – as you read this, the top two movies worldwide are top-notch live-action remakes of Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon – the welcome arrival of a quality new effort from Pixar Animation seals that deal emphatically. This pleasingly imaginative combo of science fiction, light comedy and mild drama doesn't quite reach the lofty heights scaled by Pixar's best-known works. Nevertheless, its capacity to provoke real thought and genuine happiness should not be taken for granted. As the story begins, Elio (voiced convincingly by newcomer Yonas Kibreab) is still getting over the recent passing of his parents. This intelligent and sensitive 11-year-old is now in the care of his Aunt Olga (Zoe Saldana), an officer in the US Air Force Space Command tasked with mapping and tracking debris in deep space. The around-the-clock pressures of her job have left Olga out of her depth when it comes to properly looking after Elio. The only thing that makes her space-obsessed nephew happy is when she brings him along to work. It is during one of these visits that Elio learns of a possible attempt at radio communication from an alien presence several galaxies away from here. Without Olga noticing, Elio figures out a way to respond to the message, and is instantly transported to a fascinating intergalactic realm known as the Communiverse. The only way to describe the Communiverse is that it functions as a United Nations for the bulk of the known universe. Its colourful multitude of members are sufficiently impressed by Elio's arrival to assume he is a prominent leader back on Earth, and appoint him to be our planet's first representative at the Communiverse. Understandably, Elio's sudden disappearance at home means that Olga must spearhead a search for her adventurous charge. Meanwhile, Elio finds himself a central figure in a Communiverse power struggle orchestrated by the warmongering Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett). Intelligently scripted and playfully realised, Elio never fails to engage and entertain its target audience with ease. As usual, Pixar's animation team come into their own when illustrating the Communiverse and the vividly rendered alien beings that call it home. Elio is in cinemas now. Camile Rutherford in the French rom-com Jane Austen Wrecked My Life. JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE (M) ***1/2 Selected cinemas. Charming and stylish, yet refreshingly unpretentious, this rom-com-ish affair from France is definitely worth checking out. Camile Rutherford stars in the lead role of Agathe, a woman in her early 30s caught in something of a rut, both professionally and personally. Her job in a revered Parisian bookstore is a protective cocoon which in subtle ways has inhibited her ambitions as a writer, while also smothering her chances of forming a loving relationship. Though a platonic bond with co-worker Felix (Pablo Pauly) does flicker with the potential for something deeper, it is his encouragement of Agathe's literary aspirations that sends the movie in an unexpected direction. Once Agathe is accepted into a Jane Austen-themed writing workshop in England, she finds herself experiencing the same dilemmas, contradictions and opportunities for love that traditionally beset a typical Austen heroine. A familiarity with Austen's books is hardly necessary to enjoy this sprightly, inventive and cannily observed tale, which highlights both its rookie writer-director Laura Piani and leading lady Rutherford as names to watch in the future. Originally published as Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal are the best-looking love triangle ever in Materialists
Courier-Mail
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Courier-Mail
Materialists: Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal fizzle in new rom-com
Don't miss out on the headlines from Movies. Followed categories will be added to My News. Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal make Materialists fabulous to look at – but the movie doesn't quite know what it wants to be. Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal in the Materialists. MATERIALISTS (M) **1/2 General release. Purely on the basis of the talent assembled, Materialists should have been a hit in every sense of the word. First of all, you've got just about the best-looking love triangle possible: a radiant Dakota Johnson (as a fancypants New York professional matchmaker) pondering which of the duelling dreamboats Pedro Pascal (rich, tall and handsome) or Chris Evans (broke, tall and handsome) should ultimately prove worthy of her affections. Secondly, behind the cameras, you have filmmaker Celine Song, who wowed audiences worldwide in 2023 with her multi-Oscar-nominated romantic drama Past Lives. However, for a multitude of reasons, Materialists can only find fizzle where the sizzle should be. While hardly unwatchable, the movie seems perpetually unsure about what it wants to be. Sometimes it is an undeniably likeable, if lightweight romantic comedy. At other times, it aspires to something heavier, as it explores the same storytelling planes traversed by Past Lives. Most viewers will quickly pick up on Materialists' tentative tendencies, and become all the more frustrated with the obvious uncertainty on display. Elio (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) and his alien buddy Glordon (voiced by Remy Edgerly) in Pixar's Elio. ELIO (PG) Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi Starring: the voices of Zoe Saldana, Yonas Kibreab, Brad Garrett, Shirley Henderson. ***1/2 Finding a better place in outer space In recent times, younger audiences have been both underestimated and underserviced by the major movie studios. However, the box-office figures of 2025 so far suggest the tide may finally be turning for the better. A majority of the biggest releases of the year have delivered the goods to kids in all the right ways. If children weren't already spoiled for choice right now – as you read this, the top two movies worldwide are top-notch live-action remakes of Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon – the welcome arrival of a quality new effort from Pixar Animation seals that deal emphatically. This pleasingly imaginative combo of science fiction, light comedy and mild drama doesn't quite reach the lofty heights scaled by Pixar's best-known works. Nevertheless, its capacity to provoke real thought and genuine happiness should not be taken for granted. As the story begins, Elio (voiced convincingly by newcomer Yonas Kibreab) is still getting over the recent passing of his parents. This intelligent and sensitive 11-year-old is now in the care of his Aunt Olga (Zoe Saldana), an officer in the US Air Force Space Command tasked with mapping and tracking debris in deep space. X SUBSCRIBER ONLY The around-the-clock pressures of her job have left Olga out of her depth when it comes to properly looking after Elio. The only thing that makes her space-obsessed nephew happy is when she brings him along to work. It is during one of these visits that Elio learns of a possible attempt at radio communication from an alien presence several galaxies away from here. Without Olga noticing, Elio figures out a way to respond to the message, and is instantly transported to a fascinating intergalactic realm known as the Communiverse. The only way to describe the Communiverse is that it functions as a United Nations for the bulk of the known universe. Its colourful multitude of members are sufficiently impressed by Elio's arrival to assume he is a prominent leader back on Earth, and appoint him to be our planet's first representative at the Communiverse. Understandably, Elio's sudden disappearance at home means that Olga must spearhead a search for her adventurous charge. Meanwhile, Elio finds himself a central figure in a Communiverse power struggle orchestrated by the warmongering Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett). Intelligently scripted and playfully realised, Elio never fails to engage and entertain its target audience with ease. As usual, Pixar's animation team come into their own when illustrating the Communiverse and the vividly rendered alien beings that call it home. Elio is in cinemas now. Camile Rutherford in the French rom-com Jane Austen Wrecked My Life. JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE (M) ***1/2 Selected cinemas. Charming and stylish, yet refreshingly unpretentious, this rom-com-ish affair from France is definitely worth checking out. Camile Rutherford stars in the lead role of Agathe, a woman in her early 30s caught in something of a rut, both professionally and personally. Her job in a revered Parisian bookstore is a protective cocoon which in subtle ways has inhibited her ambitions as a writer, while also smothering her chances of forming a loving relationship. Though a platonic bond with co-worker Felix (Pablo Pauly) does flicker with the potential for something deeper, it is his encouragement of Agathe's literary aspirations that sends the movie in an unexpected direction. Once Agathe is accepted into a Jane Austen-themed writing workshop in England, she finds herself experiencing the same dilemmas, contradictions and opportunities for love that traditionally beset a typical Austen heroine. A familiarity with Austen's books is hardly necessary to enjoy this sprightly, inventive and cannily observed tale, which highlights both its rookie writer-director Laura Piani and leading lady Rutherford as names to watch in the future. Originally published as Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal are the best-looking love triangle ever in Materialists
New York Post
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Materialists' review: Dakota Johnson goes from ‘Madame Web' to meh matchmaker
movie review MATERIALISTS Running time: 116 minutes. Rated R (language and brief sexual material). In theaters. Watching the new, unromantic, non-comedy 'Materialists' can feel like going on a shaky first date. There's something… off. Advertisement Is it 'Past Lives' writer-director Celine Song's love-triangle script, which is unnatural and stilted even by the standard of rom-coms such as 'Maid in Manhattan' or 'Two Weeks Notice?' Or is it star Dakota Johnson's stainless-steel 'tude as New York matchmaker Lucy? The always cool actress is auditioning to play the Terminator here. If you answered 'all of the above,' you're correct. Advertisement Yet our unease is partly by design. Song isn't so much trying to join the romantic comedy canon as she is firing a cannonball directly at it. 'Materialists' doesn't make you laugh or smile. Of this particular movie experience, Nicole Kidman might say, 'We come to this place to ponder, analyze and wince.' I flipped from being intrigued by the mysterious characters and tantalized by the luxury real estate to sitting there perplexed by the weird plot escalations that, while meant to drag rom-coms down to earth, drag viewers out of the film instead. On rare occasions, I was entertained. 4 Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal star in 'Materialists.' AP Advertisement At the start, the pieces are familiar to anybody who's seen 'The Wedding Planner' or 'The Wedding Singer.' There's Lucy, a love-averse young professional who's obsessed with her job in the relationship biz. Her sole criterion for her own future husband is that he be rich. Then — hello! — she meets a millionaire named Harry (Pedro Pascal) at a wedding at the Lotte Palace, and he sweeps her off her feet with his confidence and metal credit cards. Uh oh. At the same fete, she also reunites with a poor but hot former flame named John (Chris Evans). Whoever will she pick?! Advertisement 4 Lucy (Johnson) meets Harry (Pascal) at a wedding, and they start dating. AP The first half goes down as easily as a glass of 1990s bubbly, but there is an undercurrent of darkness. Song throws in cutting, albeit overwritten, observations about modern courtship — a k a you better have looks and money. Lucy adamantly insists, 'It's math,' and compares her job to working at the morgue. She finds matches for clients that 'check most of our boxes': Income, height, age, race, BMI. When Lucy hears about a surgery in which men get their leg bones broken to add six inches of height, she thinks it's a fabulous idea. Her matchmaking process is freakily clinical. It's practically the DMV — the Department of Marriage Vows. And the exercise mirrors the app-centric way people search for significant others nowadays. How depressing. 4 Lucy, a matchmaker, is an off-putting character, by design. AP Indeed, the men and women she works with are uniformly sad, vapid and shallow. There's not a single person in this movie you'll want to spend more than two minutes with. What we assume, of course, is that Lucy will learn that love is an intangible thing — a spark, not arithmetic. Advertisement That sort of happens. While one message is that people are more than numbers, the takeaway is far from upbeat or celebratory. What the statistics actually conceal are ugly, nasty qualities in people. Mostly that they're liars and creeps. Lucy herself is unpleasant-to-odious, again on purpose. The movie acknowledges that she's awful, and we're not meant to like her much at all. But off-putting characters must be more engaging than she is to justify the spotlight. 4 She's torn between Harry and John (Chris Evans). AP 'Materialists' lost me halfway through, admittedly, when it became more ambitious. A traumatic turning point is realistic and jarring; however, the film can't recover from it either. Advertisement Although I admired Song's aims to subvert a glossy Hollywood staple, I longed for the way her 'Past Lives' so simply and poignantly explored our 'what if?'s. Next to that, 'Materialists' is blunt and narratively messy. You can sense Song trying very hard to reach her ultimately unsatisfying and not-so-insightful end destination. En route, the acting is, frankly, ghoulish. Good for Johnson for breaking free from the embarrassing comic-book confines of 'Madame Web.' She still reads lines in a dreamy haze as if there is a crystal ball in front of her. And there's not much chemistry with Pascal or Evans, both of whom are fine, if a smidge somnambulic. Sadly, the follow-up from the director of 'Past Lives' had me dreaming about her past projects.
Hindustan Times
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Materialists Twitter reviews: Emotional fans call it Chris Evans' best performance, ‘romantic dramedy is back'
Materialists Twitter review: Materialists, starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal released in theatres on Friday, and fans have already started flooding social media with their reviews. Materialists, the latest film from Celine Song, director of the acclaimed Past Lives, is being appreciated for its sharp, introspective take on the romantic comedy genre on social media. (Also read: Dakota Johnson reveals what attracted her to Celine Song's Lucy in Materialists) Starring Dakota as Lucy, a New York City matchmaker, the film delves into themes of love, ambition, and the complexities of modern relationships. Set against the backdrop of New York's elite social scene, Lucy finds herself torn between her charming ex, John (Chris Evans), and a wealthy financier, Harry (Pedro Pascal). A fan wrote on X, (formerly Twitter), "On Materialists hit me on such a deep vulnerable and personal level. Beautifully crafted, written and directed. Celine song displays love in such a beautiful way that even if you've given up on it you see the hope in a genuine true love." Another social media user reviewed the film and declared it Chris Evans' career-best performance. He wrote, 'Sharply written and insightful in its deconstruction of dating, love and romantic expectations in the modern age, Celine Song has delivered another achingly beautiful film that shows no signs whatsoever of a sophomore slump.' "#Materialists is the antithesis of a romantic comedy, but in doing so becomes the most romantic film of the year. Dakota Johnson is outstanding, giving a performance that is on a whole other level, Pedro Pascal is perfect, but it is Chris Evans with a career-best performance that will break your heart that steals the show." Another reviewer on X gave a beautiful account of the atmosphere in theatre and wrote, "Watched MATERIALISTS with a packed crowd tonight and when the credits hit the energy in the theater felt like Top Gun: Maverick. People were crying and cheering... i think even saw a spontaneous proposal. The romantic dramedy is officially back. (sic)" Calling it modern day Casablanca, a social media user said that Dakota's film is love story for the ages. "Materialists is a modern day Casablanca - a love story for the ages. Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans & Pedro Pascal all knock it out of the park, as did Celine Song. People clamoring for a grown-up movie that is not based on IP need to see it ASAP." A reviewer mentioned the film's quality to reveal that love is messy and immeasurable to the core, is thought-provoking. "Materialists quietly breaks your heart and stitches it back with something raw and true. It strips away algorithms and ideas of 'compatibility' to reveal love's messy, unmeasurable core. Chris Evans shines in a film that feels less like a story and more like a feeling. LOVED it." '#Materialists is so damn good. Celine Song etches herself as one of my favorite directors working today. Her writing of the dynamics of modern romance are so resonant and compelling. Some different thematics from Past Lives but the take on love is just as strong,' wrote a social media user. While many have praised the film, some viewers have expressed reservations. A social media user said, "Materialists wasn't for me. Found the writing unbearably bad at times, repetitive monologues about how love can't be reduced to numbers and checkboxes or whatever. Could've had something with more charming leads but only Pedro worked, Dakota and Chris made me roll my eyes." Another social media user pointed out how Zoe Winters stole the show from the main lead. "In Materialists (2025), you have three well established actors not giving you anything past a surface-level performance, then randomly have Zoe Winters giving you her all in the 20 minutes of screen time she gets (which was a weird a$$ storyline)." 'Materialists: I really wanted to like this movie but I don't think i did. An interesting dig at the current western dating structure, but redundant. A lot quieter than I expected, the camera lingers. Basically, if you're looking for love, pick someone and love them,' wrote a social media user.
News18
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Materialists FIRST Review Out: Chris Evans, Dakota Johnson's Film Is 'Funny And Modern'
Last Updated: Set to hit theatres on June 13, Materialists is primed to be a summer hit—blending aesthetics, smart storytelling and star power into a must-watch cinematic romance. Chris Evans and Dakota Johnson's Materialists is one of the most anticipated films. While everyone is eager to watch Celine Song's directorial in theatres, a premiere was recently held in New York. Following the premiere, several social media users took to their respective X handles and shared their reviews of the movie. Netizens heaped praises on Materialists and called it one of the best movies of 2025 so far. One of the social media users praised the makers for their 'refreshing" take on contemporary dating. Another shared that Chris Evans' film is not just 'fresh" but also 'modern". People also praised Chris, Dakota and Pedro Pascal's performances in the film and called it a must-watch. 'Loved Materialists. funny, sharp, modern in a way that's not distracting, and beautifully shot. Perhaps the best part, though, and this was true for Past Lives too, is that it takes the time to develop and have empathy for every vital character. One of my favourites of 2025 so far," one of the users wrote. 'MATERIALISTS is a refreshingly realist take on the transactional nature of contemporary dating until it wears its repetitive path out. Effective themes and character developments resolve far too neatly, and the realism fizzles into a predictable bow. Charismatic, but flawed," added another. 'I haven't been able to stop thinking about Materialists since i saw it last night. a truly layered, brilliant romance film that only Celine Song could make. Dakota, Chris and Pedro all deliver stellar performances that just make you *feel*. tears, laughs, smiles, I felt it all!" a third post on X read. Materialists is set to release in theatres on June 13, 2025. First Published: June 11, 2025, 10:43 IST
