Materialists (2025)

Plot of Materialists: Lucy is a smart and insightful marriage arranger working for an up-market dating agency. When attending a wedding of a couple she had got together, she meets the future husband’s brother who she calls a ‘unicorn’. In the dating business this is a man who ticks all the boxes. Indeed, he does seem perfect and he and Lucy become an item, but in the background, working as a waiter at the reception is Lucy’s ex, a struggling actor. Meanwhile Lucy has to deal with a client who has been assaulted by the date she had arranged and who is suing the company. In an effort to meet her she is rebuffed but is later able to offer the woman support when she is being stalked. Although John, the actor, still loves her she remembers why they split up. She could not face the grinding poverty their relationship was likely to provide. Meanwhile she discovers that Harry, the unicorn, has had leg lengthening surgery to meet the number one criterion, height.

Content: Sex is implied but not featured, and there is quite a bit of posh social drinking. The interaction between Lucy and her clients features strongly some of them almost laugh out loud funny, and almost all of them requiring close to perfection from their prospective dates. Much is made on the female client’s side of the height of their dates and much made on the male side on the age of their dates. We see flashbacks of John and Lucy together and also views of John’s current apartment which he shares with others. At one point he treads on a used condom. Lucy almost continuously spouts wise words about love, relationships and marriage.

A View: The film provides a sort of view of relationships and marriage, much provided by Lucy. To start with her words seem to be insightful but, as the film goes on, they become a bit tiresome, and are obviously phrases that the writer spent a long time working up. But on the plus side it is always fun to see a superstar playing the role of a struggling actor. It seems to have made money but really if you have a choice maybe wait until it is available on your cable channel.

Fun Fact: The leg lengthening surgery is really a thing and costs about $200,000.