There’s something about Celine Song’s tender, meditative writing that felt perfect in Past Lives, but in Materialists, it just comes off as forced and awkward. Not gonna lie, some of the dialogue actually made me wince. It felt unnatural and kind of cringe. The themes are compelling (modern dating being approached by society as a transactional, algorithmic process), but the execution falls flat. The script is too contrived to really land. Celine Song has proven with her previous filn that she's a prodigy, an exciting new talent in filmmaking, but her latest film here didn’t come together like I hoped. Yet, it's still pretty enjoyable.

TIFF 2023

It felt like Oscar bait. Basically a watered down Schindler's List. The execution is ordinary. The film itself is formulaic and leans hard into sentimentality, though it did make the audience tear up. Anthony Hopkins shines, as usual, with a devastating performance. But what truly made it special was the TIFF premiere with a deeply emotional crowd who sobbed at the end. Even real life Jewish survivors from the Kindertransport rescue operation in Prague that the film depicted, revealed themselves to be in the audience, to which we warmly greeted and applauded. The movie might be forgettable, but that TIFF experience was something else.

TIFF 2023

Under the hands of a more experienced director, I actually think this sci-fi romance drama could have potentially been a 9/10 or 10/10. Because the concept is actually inventive and intriguing, essentially functioning as a critique on relationship matchmaking and dating in the modern era. It just fumbles due to poor writing, not taking the idea deeper, and then the third act I'm kind of lukewarm on.
NSFW warning: If you're squeamish towards fingernail-pulling, avoid this movie altogether.