In the heart of hearts, Materialists is a love triangle between three good-looking people (and if you do agree with the latter part of this statement, congratulations my friend, you are a materialist too). But should you choose to look closely while bending the angles of this triangle, you will notice that this is exactly the same plot of Celine Song’s immaculate debut Past Lives (2023), where the sombre tragic tone is directly replaced with a frivolous yet profound outlook on the concept of love. And yet again, it is the characters that standout. If Materialists was an Indian reality show on Netflix, it would have been called ‘Indian Matchmaking’, and Lucy would have been our beloved ‘Seema Aunty’ (though she isn’t an ‘aunty’ by any stretch of imagination here). In a scene, you see Lucy mouthing similar dialogues of compromise while taking about the outward state of her client corresponding to the demands that are put on the table.

Being in a frivolous business of matchmaking, you notice that Lucy has successfully imbibed this trait. On second thoughts, probably she always had this frivolous trait in her, of wanting a rich man, with rich looks who would potentially save her from her own set of debts. In a scene, you see Lucy literally calling out her then boyfriend John (Chris Evans) about his financial conditions, in a complete case of public humiliation. This, while John is left dumbfounded. In a different world, I can totally imagine John to be a struggling actor from Aram Nagar, fighting to make his ends meet in a cruel neighbourhood like Versova, in a big bad city like New York. You see his passion for acting that has made him compromise with his finances – he takes up odd jobs to make ends meet while being put up in a tiny apartment whom he shares with fellow strugglers in the city of New York.

The third wheel of this love story is Harry (Pedro Pascal), a privileged businessman, 6 feet tall and good-looking man who would ideally raise the bar for any girl looking for potential matches. In a scene, you see Lucy telling him on how he was “perfect” and that any girl would die to be with him, although she remained confused about her own intentions, admittedly being her love for money, or her love for the guy with money. Hence, there is an understated commentary on classism that is maintained through its characters even during the most frivolous passages in the film. And honestly, the humour just springs up through some rather hilarious sequences that would make you smile and chuckle in the first hour.

There is a definite tonal change in the drama at the halfway mark when the proceedings transition from being frivolous to something that remains a little more profound. And it all kickstarts from a tragedy that triggers a chain of thoughts for Lucy, and the choices that she chooses to make from that point. There is a sense of reality check on the part of Lucy, who is visibly shaken up by the incident, making her question the very concept of love and dating in the first place. In a scene with John, you see her baring her soul on why individuals wish to marry given that love will fizzle out after a point, both in the form of intimacy and separation, leading to fights and long standoffs about the possession of kids. She even changes her stance with Harry, stating that dating for marriage is a two-way business deal ONLY if love is on the table.

Interestingly, you also notice a sense of vulnerability on the part of the men of this universe – a visibly shaken Harry admits that he chose to go under the knife given how he wasn’t popular with the women. John is also vulnerable with his finances that pretty much stays consistent with his initial personality. In a way, all three individuals are tied up with materialistic notions of the society, while turning a blind idea to the pure and unadulterated concept of love. This, even as the drama ends with a sense of hope with respect to the realisation of the three characters.

In many ways, the drama here can be viewed as a (late) coming-of-age tale particularly for Lucy, or more specifically her metamorphosis in the game of love, hinting at also quitting the one agency that is a symbol of materialism – her dating company! And you also notice a visible shift in the warmth of the characters towards each other, from being frivolous and non-committal to actually transitioning into a territory of romance that is heartwarming. And the contrasting nature of the screenplay highlights exactly that. Damn, this felt like a Bollywood movie from the early 2000s when life was simple and the OTTs, Social Media and the Corporates hadn’t corrupted cinema. The screenplay here was fun and frolik with heavy bouts of some heartfelt romance along the way.

On a side note, I did not expect to witness a love triangle between Madame Web (of Bandra), Captain America (of Aram Nagar, Versova) and Mister Fantastic (of South Bombay) ever. And ofcourse, you could easily switch the places as per your geographical locations, or ethnicities (given how all of us are materialists😂).