7 movies to watch if you liked Materialists
In Materialists, Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is a matchmaker for the elite. In glamorous New York City, where her clients throw requirements at her instead of seeking meaningful connections (from height to a dislike of cats), she grapples with the meaning of love. Is it in security, a $12 million apartment, and the arms of a "tall drink of water" named Harry (Pedro Pascal)? Or is it in sparks from an old flame named John (Chris Evans), struggling to make ends meet?
Director Celine Song turns the romance genre on its head, throwing light on the deeper questions one must be asking about meaningful connections instead of focusing on the fleeting moments that make one kick their feet in disbelief. Her approach, with the heady performances of the cast, makes the movie memorable.
For fans of Materialists, here are 7 movies that might cure the post-movie hunger for more.
Disclaimer: All opinions in this article belong solely to the writer.
Past Lives, Crazy Rich Asians, and other movies for fans of Materialists
1) Past Lives (2023)
Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) navigate life, identity, friendship, and missed opportunity over two decades of knowing each other, from Seoul, South Korea, to New York City. When fate brings them together as adults, they must confront all the choices that led them to that moment.
Celine Song's Academy Award-nominated movie Past Lives is about the could-have-beens and should-have-beens, wrapped in a blanket of reality that the main characters are forced to face. Materialists is her follow-up, and continues to ask the same introspective questions: What matters most in life? How does one know which of their choices are right?
Where to watch: Prime Video
2) Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Rachel (Constance Wu) falls in love with Nick (Henry Golding), unaware of what lies in store for her. What she thought was a pure and simple relationship turns on its head when she travels to Singapore and enters the world of his rich family, where transactional love reigns supreme, and disdain is served with breakfast.
Both Materialists and Crazy Rich Asians navigate the world of love laced with class, ambition, and strategy. It puts the main characters at a crossroads of choosing between love in its most natural form and glitz and glamor. Fans are nudged towards a quieter space to introspect on what truly matters.
Where to watch: Netflix
3) How to be Single (2016)
Dakota Johnson reclaims life as a single woman named Alice in New York City, navigating modern rules of love, one-night stands, and relationships with a wild, party-loving Robin (Rebel Wilson) by her side. Amidst the noise, she learns who she is and how to be her person in a world keen on slapping labels.
Fans of Materialists who enjoyed Johnson's grounded confidence and quiet intensity, as Lucy will enjoy her more awkward and naive self in How to be Single. The movie almost feels like a prequel to Lucy's life and how she learned to be confident in her skin before taking on the world of elite matchmaking. At its core, its themes are timeless: Loving yourself and cherishing every moment.
Where to watch: Apple TV/Prime Video/Netflix
4) Love, Rosie (2014)
Childhood best friends Rosie (Lily Collins) and Alex (Sam Claflin) grow up and go their separate ways, missing each other's window for romance, marriage, and kids by a hair. They continue to hold out hope for a moment in time when their lives line up and they can give their relationship a chance.
While Christian Ditter's Love, Rosie is a more quintessential romance drama compared to Materialists, both movies are about a quiet yearning for the what-ifs. Both Lucy and Rosie must grapple with the consequences of their choices, straddling the harshness of the real world and the expectations that come with it. Alex's demeanor will remind fans of John's quiet pining from the sidelines.
Where to watch: Netflix/Prime Video
5) We Live in Time (2024)
A divorced and disillusioned Tobias (Andrew Garfield) believes in love again after meeting figure-skater-turned-chef Almut (Florence Pugh). The couple hits roadblocks over varying beliefs on love and family, when a shocking development challenges their future.
Materialists and We Live in Time challenge the romance genre by peeling back layers to show love in its most nascent form. It is not all sunshine and rainbows. It is what stands the test of time, especially when each character brings a fragility and emotional baggage that makes fans immediately root for their joy.
Where to watch: Prime Video
6) Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
Through the course of five life-changing events, Charles (Hugh Grant) and Carrie (Andie MacDowell) run into each other, and their mutual attraction grows. However, their meetings are laced with inopportune moments, missed connections, and a series of choices that throw them farther away from each other.
Director Mike Newell explores the meaning of finding true love amidst poor decisions, words left unsaid, and wrongly timed confessions. Fans of Materialists will enjoy this throwback that explores the vulnerability of true love and choosing between comfort and connection, through the eyes of vulnerable yet prideful youth who might not entirely know what they want.
Where to watch: Prime Video
7) Brooklyn (2015)
The riveting love triangle plot of Materialists meets a period romance drama centered on a woman named Ellis (Saoirse Ronan), who must choose between her new life and love in New York City and the promise of permanence and comfort back home in Ireland.
Lucy and Ellis are torn between two worlds (for Ellis, it is quite literal). They navigate the excitement and newness of attraction in Harry and Tony, respectively, but crave the comfort and groundedness of John and Jim. Fans follow along with bated breath to see what their choices--and subsequent consequences--are. Both movies are about romance, but also so much more than that.
Where to watch: Hulu
Fans of Materialists can catch Johnson in the Fifty Shades movies, Evans in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Pascal in The Last of Us for more of their stellar performances.
