Materialists

Woah.  I had prepped myself beforehand, expecting this movie to play out as if Nora Ephron had directed Hitch, but that woefully underplays Celine Song’s stylistic approach to this drama. Yes! Drama first, romance second.  I loved it. Encapsulates the pitfalls of dating today, where individuals tend to leave their hearts behind in favor of transactional, hollow relationships all housed behind a shiny, chic veneer. The crux of this whole story reminded me of the now-iconic scene between Florence Pugh’s Amy and Timothée Chalamet’s Laurie in the 2019 adaptation of Little Women. Is marriage an economic proposition? Are we content in a partnership with all means, but no love? Lots to chew on. First time in a long time that I had a lengthy, provoking discussion dissecting a film immediately after watching. It was also funny watching this in a theater in the Midwest among multiple couples staunchly in their sixties as every (objectively hot) character proceeds to prowl down city streets in slinky eveningwear while devaluing and critiquing their appearance. Calling the character of Sophie fat is crazy, but that's kind of the point. It's all relative, what someone values in a grave buddy.