Today on KIOS at the Movies, Joshua LaBure reviews the new film “Materialists” and he sits down with Elijah Hoefer, General Manager of Programming at Film Streams, to discuss what’s coming to their theatres.
Materialists
From writer-director Celine Song — the filmmaker behind Past Lives, one of my favorite movies of the past few years — comes a new romantic comedy starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans.
The film follows Lucy (Johnson), a matchmaker torn between two very different men, and two very different lives. Although it’s being marketed as a straight rom-com (and definitely nods to films like Working Girl and other late ’80s and ’90s classics), this is much different than that. Underneath its charming surface is a mix of satire, absurdist humor, and the quiet, patient sensibility that made Past Lives so engrossing.
This may leave some viewers expecting the movie promised in its trailer a bit disappointed, but for me, it was a welcomed (maybe somewhat expected) surprise — I found myself laughing harder than I expected and falling into long conversations afterwards about what the film is really trying to say. It playfully dismantles some of the more ridiculous tropes of older rom-coms and pokes fun at our data-obsessed culture, yet it never feels cynical.
The cinematography is patient and lush, the performances are quirky but endearing, the pacing is unconventional but worked for me, it’s almost transcendent and the soundtrack hits. I never quite knew where the film was going, and that sense of discovery is part of its charm. If you give yourself over to it, it’s a rewarding experience.
Consider me a Materialists fan. I loved this movie.
Materialists is now playing at Film Streams.
Also, Elijah Hoefer, programmer at Film Streams stopped by to talk about what’s playing in the coming weeks.
Life of Chuck starts June 27th
Heat plays on Saturday, June 28th.
