'materialists' is a new tier of rom-com
materialists has unlocked a new tier of romcoms & idk if you heard but role model is gonna be a movie star !!
pov of the week
Given the return of the classic movie trailer narrator and the adorably goofy press from Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal, I thought Materialists would be the long-awaited Saturn’s return to the golden age of 90s rom-coms. Instead, Materialists feels more like it’s unlocked a new tier of the romantic comedy. With Past Lives’ Celine Song at the helm, I probably should’ve expected that.
The story follows Lucy (Dakota Johnson), a professional matchmaker who finds herself torn between the “perfect match” Harry (Pedro Pascal), and “imperfect ex” John (Chris Evans). With a premise like that, I’m already sat.
However, what I expected to be a tangled, charged mess between the three ridiculously charming leads turned out to be a slower, more intentional dissection of love. Rather than a giddy exploration of the delicate early stages that I’m used to seeing in rom-coms, it felt more like a post-mortem. It questions love and marriage, not as some kind of romantic end-goal, but its role as a mutual exchange of assets, both material and social. Honestly, where’s the lie?
Yes, it’s charming and funny, with memorable moments of chemistry that had me smiling from ear to ear. It was also kinda grim. Lucy’s job saw her often reducing clients, and her own dating life, to numbers and stats. The concept is informed by Song’s own experience as a matchmaker, and she does not hold back on the harsh realities of dating in that environment. She also doesn’t let that overpower the reason we’re all sat for this movie in the first place.
I sat down (virtually) with Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans to try and figure out how exactly Celine pulled off this kind of rom-com sorcery because whatever she’s doing, we need more of it.
“I think Celine has reimagined the rom-com because of her background as a playwright,” Dakota told Junkee. “Her dialogue is so specific and intentional, and she knows exactly what she wants. I think she’s put a different layer of reality and heart and soul into a rom-com where we may have veered off the path of reality for a minute, in some areas.”
“I love each person’s struggle within this movie,” Chris said. “I think you can find different chapters of your own life with each person you feel a kinship with. I’ve been married a few years now. My love journey, there’s been ups and downs, and I feel so grateful and blessed to be where I am now. When I started this movie, I felt very whole and complete. It’s kind of why I like to examine this topic so much because I’m not limping into it.”
Materialists certainly reminded me why I love a good rom-com, and why the genre rings true in different ways for different people. For me, it’s the way that Lucy navigates her attraction to Harry and her lingering connection to John with such clear-eyed precision that has kept me thinking about the movie. The way it strips love down to its most basic elements with unflinching cynicism, yet doesn’t make me feel hopeless or pessimistic. In fact, it almost makes me more amazed that we ever fall in love in the first place.
As for who Lucy ends up with at the end of the movie, I had to ask how Dakota and Chris thought audiences would feel about that.
“Horrified?” Dakota said.
“Elated,” added Chris. “Hopefully, like any good movie, you want to talk about it, examine it. An affirmation of love and the value of its pursuit.”
– Lia
this week’s lesson: This isn’t a greenhouse, it’s a green home
Oh hi! It’s me, Talecia. I fear I’ve always been a moth to a flame when it comes to an op-shop, a garage sale, or a literal pile of stuff on the nature strip of a rich suburb. However, it wasn’t until I started renting my own place that I realised my favourite things — the things that really made my home feel like home — were the things that I’d found or made myself.
Some home things do require money though. Our pals at Bank Australia offer savings accounts with potential for bonus interest (check the deposit details), including MySaver for under-25s and the option to direct round ups on eligible purchases from your transaction account into your savings??? Froth that. Future me who will absolutely love owning (and decorating!!) a home one day will be grateful for every bit extra <3
your homework: If you’re looking for something for your home or even tryna find a gift for someone… hit the op-shops or fb marketplace first! P.S. if you’re interested, you can suss more about getting started w iconic 4-time Green Bank of the Year here ◡̈
some things on my radar this week:
Euro festival season is v much underway and the fomo is actually too much to handle?? Primavera Sound headlined by Charli, Chappell and Sabrina went absolutely and categorically OFF. My fave moments? (tysm for asking) Sabrina did a mashup of ‘Bed Chem’ with ‘Pony’ by Ginuwine which was ridiculous but perfect and Chappell was the Apple girl for Charli’s set <3 so fun UGH.
Gov Ball also looked unreal! Role Model brought out Conan Gray to be his Sally for the eve and they did a lil smooch on stage (ily pride month!) and our Olivia Rodrigo brought out David Byrne of Talking Heads fame to perform w her.
Talking Heads dropped a mv for ‘Psycho Killer’ starring Saoirse Ronan and Yungblud’s mv for Zombie starring Florence Pugh is also doing numbers?? If I had a nickel for every time a rock act brought in a Hollywood darling for a music vid in 2025 I would have two nickels which isn't a lot but it's weird it happened twice.
Idk if you heard but Role Model is gonna be a movie star! Filming for the Lena Dunham-directed rom-com begins shooting v soon but unfortunately that means that a couple of his upcoming performances have been cancelled… Not very vibey, I fear. He’s been replaced by Griff and Djo for a few Gracie Abrams shows. Hope the girlies aren’t too disappointed and they enjoy having miss Griff in their midst.
Oh and Justin Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively has been dismissed. A trial for Blake’s original lawsuit against Justin Baldoni is still scheduled for March 2026.
aux
songs to add to your playlist rn:
Little Simz is truly a generational talent. Featuring Wretch 32 and Cashh for this therapeutic conversation between siblings, this is UK rap excellence on display! Familial healing has never sounded so good.
Olivia Dean always delivers the most beautiful melodies. Been severely addicted to this single for the last week, there’s something so tender and human about it.
Names you NEED to know!! (and more songs about limerence, gimme) Lexa Gates’ first single since last year’s album Elite Vessel which btw was one of the strongest rap debuts lately.
(Save this playlist btw, updating every week!!)
Flow (2024) | Directed by Gints Zilbalodis, who, along with his co-producer Matīss Kaža, is the first Latvian to win an Academy Award.
TLDW: Even though this movie won Best Animated Feature at the Oscars last year, I’d put off watching it. I resented it for beating Inside Out 2, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, and The Wild Robot, which I loved. Also, I heard there was no dialogue in it and you just watch a bunch of animals. Well, I was wrong to doubt it. This movie’s beautiful. Without saying a word, this menagerie goes on a harrowing adventure of friendship and I was utterly overwhelmed by the end of it.
Dick Tracy (1990) | Directed by Warren Beatty, whose romantic relationship with co-star Madonna was featured in her documentary Truth of Dare (1991).
TLDW: The 90s were a wild, wild time. This movie is based on a comic strip from the 1930s, which, as far as I can tell, no longer exists as a medium. It’s about a cop who knows how to take care of business. Also? He wears a lot of yellow. He flirts shamelessly with Madonna, even though he’s got a long-time girlfriend but eventually realises the meaning of love. For some reason, almost everyone in this movie is wearing crazy facial prosthetics, I guess because they were kind of drawn that way in the comic. I wouldn’t say DT holds up, because I don’t think people liked it when it came out. But Warren Beatty is extremely charming and his movies from the 70s are some of the best of all time. And Al Pacino is over the top in a fun way, before he started being over the top in a not fun way.
An American Tail (1986) | Directed by Don Bluth, who was responsible for a bunch of likable animated movies in the 80s and 90s.
TLDW: Remember when America was proud of its immigration history? “Give us your tired, your poor…” etc etc? It all feels like a beautiful, long-forgotten dream now. I was starting to believe that it wasn’t real at all, that ICE had raided it out of existence. Then I watched An American Tail, which paints a once familiar image of an America that (awkwardly) welcomed immigrants, who became part of the backbone of its society. Fieval, a Russian mouse child, loses his family on the journey to New York for a better life. He sets out to find them and along the way, makes some enemies and some friends, most notably Tiger, a cat voiced by the hilarious Dom DeLuise. It’s great. I wonder what the 2025 version would look like.
(More faves on our letterboxd if you wanna follow us there)
Junkee Media acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land where this newsletter was produced, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation.
