‘Materialists' Trailer Plays Like A '90s Romcom

What we have here is a throwback to the ’90s—complete with a voiceover that begins the trailer with, “In a world…”

Here’s the latest trailer for “Materialists”—Celine Song is taking a swing at revitalizing the romcom with this one. Fingers crossed it pans out for her. Can we all admit this is a surprising direction for her second feature? It comes across like an indie reimagining of “Hitch.”

Quite honestly, if this weren’t directed by Song or distributed by A24, would we even be paying attention to it? Probably not. I kept expecting the trailer to take a sharp turn into something darker or more surreal. Nope. Instead, it feels like they dusted off a script written in 1998.

Hey, listen, a ‘90s romcom isn’t the worst thing in the world. It was certainly a fad that delivered some decent works, I’m thinking “Jerry Maguire,” “Notting Hill,” “As Good As It Gets,” “10 Things I Hate About You,” and “Four Weddings and A Funeral.” However, the genre has died down, and the cliches are more noticeable than ever.

A24 is planning a nationwide theatrical release for “Materialists” on June 13. With that date on the calendar, the film is skipping the festival scene altogether—Cannes was its only viable option, but it doesn’t quite fit the mold of a typical Croisette premiere.

Starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal, “Materialists” centers on a driven matchmaker in New York City who finds herself caught between two love interests—one of them being her flawed ex.

Song’s debut, “Past Lives,” made waves at Sundance and eventually landed a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. Naturally, expectations were sky-high for her follow-up. And here it is: “Materialists.”