Celine Song’s new film tries a lot, but doesn’t do everything.
What happens if you put Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans together in a film? In fact, not as much as you might expect. What exactly is the result of this interaction shows “What is love – materialist” over the length of 117 minutes on the large screen. What could be a dream with this line -up in theory turns out to be no half and nothing whole in implementation.
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Can love be calculated?
The second film by director Celine Song, who previously met with “Past Lives” in the middle of the heart of several spectators: Love now looks much more pragmat. Lucy (Dakota Johnson) lives in the turbulent New York and works as a matchmaker for “adore”. Your life’s work: coupling love seekers on a economic basis and bring together couples for life. The focus is not on the big feelings, because for Lucy love is a “business deal” that you can complete using various factors.
She herself is torn between the men Harry (Pedro Pascal) and John (Chris Evans). Lucy is not looking for emotions, but for the best potential and most money, which makes Harry an ideal candidate. He is not only a private equity broker who lives in a $ 12 million apartment, but also charming, courteous and meets all requirements with his height. At “ADORE” you would call it a “unicorn”, as perfect and surreal as it looks. John, on the other hand, has hardly any money, not a permanent job and is on-off actor away from Broadway. He is also Lucy’s ex-boyfriend. They separated because John was simply too poor for Lucy, an absolute no-go for the economically thinking matchmaker.
Rom-Com in sheep’s clothing
“What is worth love – materialist” is advertised as a classic romantic comedy. But if you go to the cinema, see a relaxed, light, funny film, you will quickly be disappointed. Because it is not all that Song’s project pretends. Rather, the director tries to camouflage a social criticism as a well-being love film.
It sounds like an exciting concept on paper, but it doesn’t want to ignite in the final implementation. Nevertheless: “What is love – materialist” has its good moments. Song works several times with cuts of absurd dating preferences from her client: inside, which (sadly) probably depict more reality than you want to admit. One of her customers is deterred by all women, for example, who only come close to their 30th birthday, while another special value attaches to the BMI (body mass index) of his future partner. More than once, these scenes elicit a smile, be it due to the absurdity or the reality of reality.
Lucy always listens carefully to her counterpart and cannot be put off by the most absurd preferences. Dakota Johnson is not necessarily convincing in Song’s film with acting finesse, probably also because her role hardly allows it. Because Johnson consistently embodies this emotional world as hardened and cold as the matchmaker is supposed to appear. Only the actress herself knows whether this is intention or chance.
From social criticism to trauma creation
If the film opts for a socially critical focus, he tilts into the concept of a classic Romcom towards the end, or at least tries it. First of all, the image of love is always built up as a market economy authority that deals with potential and marketing. Lucy knows her client: inside hardly and has no interest in it until it is doomed. Because one of her customers makes a not only negative, but also dangerous and traumatizing experience with a supposedly suitable man.
From this point, in addition to the socially critical aspects, dealing with traumatic experiences also plays a role, while Lucy continues to fluctuate between Harry and John. Here threatens to want “what love – materialist” too much.
Is “what love is worth – materialist” a failed attempt?
The concept on which Celine Song tries works more, sometimes less. Although she creates the intended unadorned look at the superficiality of the current dating landscape, she steers towards classic Romcom again towards the end. After all, Dakota Johnson’s character still has to choose between Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal, and such scenarios rarely can be dissolved without a certain pinch of kitsch, not even in “What is love – materialist”.
Despite, or precisely because of these disagreements, he is a film that you should take an idea of. Because such a transfigured look at dating, partnership and love is rare in Hollywood. In any case, it won’t get bored in Celine Song’s second project. And worth seeing, not only because of the prominent line-up, is always the A24 production. This is also due to the coherent scene, the proven New York backdrop and the appealing costume design. The concept idea may not work entirely, but this half or non-Romcom still follows an exciting approach.