Movie review
June 12, 2025 · 116 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Materialists.
Woke representation / casting
One visible lesbian client character (conservative, Black, Christian) appears incidentally in a supporting role; no emphasis in casting announcements, trailers, or marketing.
Woke political dialogue
Satirical client scenes expose bigoted preferences from some characters; dialogue centers on money, class, and dating standards without activist slogans or heavy lecturing.
Identity-driven story themes
Core focus remains class, materialism, and the heterosexual love triangle, but includes a minor queer element via the background lesbian client; still not a driving or central theme.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Critiques the commodification of love and relationships under capitalism, shallow material standards in modern dating, and class divisions; some viewers and the director read this as challenging traditional financial expectations in partnerships.
Review
Materialists is a 2025 romantic drama written and directed by Celine Song. It follows a successful New York City matchmaker who uses practical criteria such as income, height, and status to pair elite clients, only to face her own conflict between a wealthy suitor and her financially struggling ex-boyfriend. The story examines modern dating as a marketplace shaped by ambition, class, and materialism, with satirical scenes of client prejudices that include one brief lesbian client and a subplot involving personal trauma. Creator statements tie the themes to feminist opposition to capitalism and classism, elements that some viewers interpret as ideological messaging favoring emotional fulfillment over material success.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. Original story with no established canon or historical figures altered for ideological reasons.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Clear online complaints treat the film as feminist or anti-capitalist “propaganda” that favors emotional connection over financial security and criticizes materialism; director’s classism-focused responses kept the debate active.
Creator track record context
Lead creator Celine Song shows a consistent pattern of class, identity, and anti-capitalist feminist themes; co-producers Vachon and Koffler have strong queer and marginalized-community histories, though the film’s queer element is minor.
Production
