Writer/director Celine Song had one of the most impressive film debuts I’ve ever seen. Her very buzzy debut feature Past Lives was nominated for several Academy Awards and was one of my personal favorite films of 2023. Her sophomore film Materialists, starring three of the hottest names in Hollywood right now, has been sold in its advertising campaign as a lighthearted throwback to the mid-2000s romantic comedy. This is one of the greatest bait and switch moments I’ve ever seen in film advertising. Because this film isn’t what you’re expecting, it’s something much better. Materialists isn’t a romantic comedy at all, it’s a more somber and introspective drama about economic anxiety and the complexities and the dangers of the modern relationship. And it’s one of my favorite films so far this year.

Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is a former actress who started working as a matchmaker, and she’s very good at her job. She’s cynical about relationships and romance, but has figured out her system of criteria in relationships that has worked for her clients, and says she’s happier alone. That is until she meets the handsome and wealthy Harry (Pedro Pascal) and has a run-in with her one-who-got-away John (Chris Evans) at a client’s wedding. And after a devastating development involving a situation with one of her clients, Lucy suddenly becomes very conflicted about the future she’s imagined for herself, professionally and romantically.

I don’t know why I went into Materialists expecting something lighter and less of an emotional gut punch than Past Lives. I should’ve known what I was getting myself into knowing this was a Celine Song film. But to my credit, she has only made one film before this and she hadn’t cemented her cinematic voice as powerfully yet, and also like I mentioned, the advertising campaign for this movie straight up lies to the viewer. There are moments in Materialists that legitimately broke me on a visceral level. Materialists proves Past Lives was no fluke, and Celine Song is one of our strongest and most astute filmmakers of the romance genre, of this generation. There are many aspects of human connection and human desire that she captures so beautifully and so thoughtfully, through small, individual character moments or monologues, and this film cements her as one of my favorite filmmakers working today.

I’m not sure if any actor in this film has done better work. Dakota Johnson, who has consistently made fascinating choices as an actress since completing the disastrous franchise films that put her on the map, is terrific here. She has to find ways to make this character who is rather vain and unlikable at the outset, into something that audiences eventually find relatable and sympathetic, and Johnson is totally up to that task. She has a monologue during a scene at a stranger’s wedding, where she summarizes the state of the modern relationship, that had me floored. What she’s able to do with this character over the course of the time we spend with her is nothing short of incredible. Dakota Johnson has done some terrific work in her career up until this point, but I think this performance will be remembered as one of her best.

Her chemistry with both Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal is electric and fiery. Pedro Pascal is just about everywhere these days, but this character is one of the few instances where his whole thing has actually made sense to me. He’s playing this suave, impossibly charming and wealthy man who aims to sweep our lead character off her feet, but he’s got his own demons and his own insecurities which make him a compelling figure. And this film is proof of what Chris Evans can do when he’s cast in a real movie. His career has kind of stalled ever since he left the Marvel universe, he’s done a lot of lame action movies for streaming services. But he’s incredible here, he has a few individual moments in this film that absolutely broke my heart. Between his performance here and his work in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out, it’s clear Evans can really shine properly if the writing is there and the film around him is actually good. I would love to see him work with more filmmakers like Celine Song moving forward. We also have an excellent supporting performance from actress Zoë Winters. I don’t want to tell you a lot about the character she’s playing, but trust me, you’ll recognize what I’m talking about when you see it.

Celine Song re-teams with a majority of the crew she worked with on Past Lives for this film. Cinematographer Shabier Kirchner returns, shooting this on 35mm film as opposed to digital, and it absolutely makes a difference. The film has a gauzy, wistful atmosphere, reminiscent of the mid-00’s romantic comedy, but utterly enveloping and intoxicating in its own unique way. Katina Danabassis returns as the costume designer here, and every piece of clothing these characters wear tells you something new about them. Production designer Anthony Gasparro did not work on Past Lives, but creates a New York that’s aspirational and idealistic but also reminds you how far off from reality it can be. And composer Daniel Pemberton is also new here, and the score is lovely. The music supervision and choice of existing music here, is also sharp and intentional in every moment.

Overall, I was very impressed with what Celine Song manages to accomplish with Materialists. It’s a deconstruction of the classic romantic comedy that is very clear-eyed, rueful and realistic about the complexities and nuances of modern romance. It’s not sunny and bright, but also isn’t a total downer. It lives somewhere in the middle, but it definitely put me through the wringer emotionally. There are individual moments and monologues here that destroyed me in the best way. The three leading performances here could not possibly be any better, and I was thoroughly impressed by the rich character detail the three leading actors are able to achieve here. This is also a case where I could see the film becoming more powerful and more meaningful in repeat viewings, and I can’t wait to see it again. Materialists cements Celine Song’s position as one of the most promising filmmakers working today, and it’s one of the best films I’ve seen so far this year.