Celine Song's Materialists (2025) is an innovative social commentary on modern dating, which examines the idea of humanistic qualities versus materialistic qualities. In addition, the film explores themes of wealth and class in relation to finding the perfect partner, as matchmaker Lucy Mason (played by Dakota Johnson) seeks out a partner who ticks each of her compatibility boxes. On the night of one of her clients' weddings, Lucy is charmed by a wealthy financier, Harry Castillo (played by Pedro Pascal). She is struck by his superficial qualities, wealth, and successful career, and systematically believes that he is her perfect match, as she ultimately agrees to a date with him. However, although he is theoretically “perfect” for her, there is one thing missing, and that one thing is a natural bond. That is something Lucy is conflicted with, as she has reconnected with her caterer/theatre actor ex-boyfriend, John Pitts (played by Chris Evans), and discovers that the natural bond they once shared continues to exist between them.

While exploring the dating world, Lucy must decide whether materialism is more important than naturalism. This concern is highlighted during a dinner with Harry, as Lucy proclaims: "I don't know if I like you or I just like the places you take me to". As John was unable to provide Lucy with expensive dates, Lucy is now in a place in her life wherein she has the "perfect" man and the "perfect" dates. Therefore, does dating a rich man who consistently picks up the cheque at restaurants, lives in an upscale apartment, and arranges spontaneous vacations mean more to Lucy than her chemistry with John?. Thus, it is clear that Harry is symbolic of materialism, due to providing Lucy with expensive gifts and a high-end lifestyle, and John is symbolic of naturalism, as he experiences real-world issues, and utilises his humanistic qualities such as comfort, prioritisation, care, and support.

Throughout the film, Song subverts conventional romantic comedy conventions as she uses cinema to present a series of questions surrounding modern dating, as opposed to conforming to formulaic genre tropes. In doing so, the filmmaker asks questions such as, What is more important? - materialism or naturalism? Does a person have to tick idealistic boxes to be accepted, or can humanistic qualities be enough?. Can Lucy accept that John is willing to be there for her, even if that means not taking her to expensive restaurants and buying her expensive flowers or jewellery? Is John's commitment to Lucy enough on its own, or does materialism HAVE to be tethered to love?.

In turn, Materialists argues that the tradition of love established in the prehistoric era is not of primary importance to modern society today by conveying that a ring made out of a daisy is just as effective as a diamond ring is, and that sharing lunch from a food truck in central park is just as romantic as sitting across from one another at an expensive restaurant. Through Lucy and John’s reconnection, Song reaffirms that it's not about the type of food you eat, the quality of a restaurant, the expensive gifts you do or don’t receive, or whether a person’s salary is in the ballpark of seven figures; it's about who you are sharing your life with. If you are with your compatible partner, then materialism is not important. It never was. To this end, Materialists demonstrates that, on one hand, the perfect, compatible, idealistic person with "razor sharp" qualities only truly exists on paper, as, on the other hand, love cannot be manipulated with numbers and calculations; it must be natural and chemical to be compatible.