The Materialists trailer has been released. The movie is the sophomore feature from director Celine Song, following her previous movie, Past Lives. Materialists is a romantic comedy about a matchmaker whose business is threatened when she finds herself in a toxic love triangle. The film features a star-studded cast led by Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal, and supported by Marin Ireland, Lindsey Broad, Sawyer Spielberg, and Will Fitz. It is set for release on June 13 of this year.

Now, A24 has released the trailer for Materialists. The trailer opens by introducing Johnson’s character as a matchmaker, including showing many of her clients. Set to the tune of “Material Girl,” the trailer transitions into a celebration of the ninth marriage that Johnson’s Lucy has set up. As Lucy attends a wedding, she meets Pascal’s character while also running into Evans, who plays John, an old flame who is now catering for the wedding. She starts dating Pascal’s character, while John also pursues her, getting her into a love triangle that threatens the sancтιтy of her job.

What This Means For Materialists

The Movie Has Some Overlapping Ideas With Past Lives

Materialists appears to take on some similar plot points to Past Lives, but carries forth a different tone overall. Past Lives also saw its lead character grapple with a form of love triangle, as a visit from an old flame threatened the sancтιтy of her current marriage. Materialists sees its lead, Lucy, confronted with someone from her past while also experiencing the thrill of romance with a new person. Despite this plot overlap, however, Song’s second film seems to follow a lot more of a conventional rom-com, love triangle-type arc, whereas Past Lives was more dramatic.

The Materialists trailer shows that the movie will hinge on Johnson’s performance. While there are also two men involved in this love triangle, Lucy is the vertex as her stakes are by far the highest. Her romantic misfortunes will inevitably spill over into the quality of advice and matchups she can give as a matchmaker, an element that is addressed in the trailer. How Lucy navigates this and who she ends up with as a result will be the movie’s driving conflict.

Our Take On The Materialists Trailer

Materialists Will Be A Great Chance For Song To Work With Established Stars

Past Lives received incredible reviews and two Oscar nominations, making Song’s next feature highly anticipated. ScreenRant‘s Mae Abdulbaki gave Past Lives 9 out of 10 stars, writing “Greta Lee and Teo Yoo are incredible and devastating in their respective roles.” Looking at the trailer, I’m struck by how well Song seems to be transitioning to work with major stars like Pascal and Johnson, after directing comparatively smaller names in Past Lives. If successful, Materialists could be a tour-de-force and one of this generation’s classic romance movies, as the film pairs a budding directorial talent with established Hollywood actors.

Source: A24