Song has mastered the art of the relationship story
Film critic Jason Evans has made it his mission to tell you about movies in less time than it takes to ask someone how much money they make. His reviews are exactly 100 words long (99 is never enough and 101 is too much). Here is his 100-word review of Materialists.
The Premise: Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is a very successful
matchmaker in New York. She has guided her clients to 9 marriages and takes
great care to find exactly what they want – for the women that means very
successful men who are tall; for the men it is all about hot, younger women. Lucy
has vowed not to date any more men until she finds the guy she is going to
marry and the most important quality he can have is a lot of money. While
attending a client’s wedding, she meets Harry (Pedro Pascal). He is charming,
smart, handsome… oh, and he is both tall and very rich. But just as Lucy seems
to be falling for Harry, her ex-boyfriend John (Chris Evans) shows up. He’s a
poor aspiring actor who Lucy left because of their money problems. Will she choose
the first love of her life or the man who can buy her happiness? The
film is written and directed by Celine Song, who won acclaim and awards for her
only other film, Past Lives.
The 100-Words: What should be just another predictable
romcom is elevated thanks to Song’s deft direction and smart script. I’m not
going to say the film takes surprising turns from traditional romcom
conventions, but its execution of them is top notch and Song elicits meaningful
performances from all of her actors. The film knows when to linger in a moment
and when to pick up the pace or provide a surprise. It never gets silly or
unrealistic and has some powerful things to say about love and what we value. A
wonderful date-night treat from the new master of on screen relationships.
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