Materialists 2025 Review

 

Materialists 2025

What does a new film tell us about relationships?

Materialists is a 2025 romantic comedy. It was written and directed by Celine Song. Chris Evans (Captain America), Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades of Grey), and Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) are the film's A-list stars. Materialists was released on June 13, 2025. The film enjoys an 81% positive score from professional reviewers at review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. Amateur reviews are less enthusiastic; they average an only 67% positive score. Materialists has made $35,848,149 against its production budget of $20 million. The film is a "surprise box office success" for its relatively new, small, and edgy distributor, A24 Films.

I loved Materialists. I loved the warm glow of the 35 mm film stock. I loved the gorgeous cast. I loved the few laugh-out-loud funny scenes – I have lived in that same apartment and had those same roommates. I loved the film's attempt to engage big ideas. But the movie isn't for everybody.

Materialists has received a great deal of attention from professional and amateur commentators. Materialists is not just a romantic comedy; it's an essay addressing real-life romance as well as the romantic comedy genre. That being the case, it's a good idea to talk a bit about the romantic comedy genre before talking about the film itself.

David Horowitz In Memoriam

 

David Horowitz
In Memoriam

 

In the late 1980s and early 90s, I lived in the People's Republic of Berkeley. Berkeley was one of the forces that made me the person I am today. UC grad school was permission I had been hungering for my entire life, without realizing it. Yes, it is okay to spend an entire day reading, writing, asking questions, and saying things that you weren't sure anyone had ever said. I loved being around intellectually alive people 24/7. I met Annapurna summiteer Arlene Blum (I felt small), Salman Rushdie (super charming), Czeslaw Milosz (rude), Gloria Steinem (kind), Shelby Steele (aloof), Peter O'Toole (indulgent but world-weary smile), and Frank Langella (sooo hot). Berkeley, in those days, was all about healing, and I had alotta wounds to heal. Berkeley's Twelve Step meetings were among the most important religious experiences I've ever had.

 

The San Francisco Mime Troupe's free outdoor plays inspired me. One performance managed to turn Liberty Leading the People, from the Delcroix painting, into a character. I get chills just thinking about it. I felt, "Wow, I have found my tribe. We are going to usher in a better world!" In the cavernous, 1,466-seat UC Theater, I watched all five hours of the Samurai Trilogy in a packed house of whooping and cheering fans. Though I'm from Jersey, where excellent pizza is as the air we breathe, I must salute Zachary's deep dish spinach and mushroom pie. I danced off the calories at Ashkenaz, a warm and welcoming nightclub constructed to resemble an eastern European synagogue.  

 

Don't Underestimate Importance of Recent Polish Election - Taras Berezovets

"Jews Are Afraid Right Now" New York Times Op Ed

 

Excerpt:

This is how antisemitism works. Antisemitism scapegoats Jews, depicting us as both invisible and omnipresent, casting us as powerless when convenient, and all-powerful and controlling at other times .Antisemitism isolates, allowing hatred against Jews to grow and fester. The person charged with Colorado’s attack, according to an F.B.I. affidavit, told the police that he wanted to “kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead.”

Some comments in the comments section on this blog follow the above-described antisemitic pattern. These posts depict Jews as "all powerful." Because Jews are "all powerful," Poles can't tell their story publicly about WW II or Polish suffering. This is nonsense. Poles could unite, organize, and act strategically to get their story told in curricula and media. But they don't. That is not the fault of Jewish people. Insisting that it is the fault of Jewish people is antisemitic. 

Otherwise, this article is heartbreaking. America has seen three high profile, potentially deadly, and in one case, deadly antisemitic attacks in recent months. 

I have to note that if these attacks had occurred during the presidency of a black Democrat, a Kamala Harris, say, Team Trump would be exploiting the attacks. Trump is not offering ethical or inspirational leadership in the face of these attacks, and his fans are not taking him to task for that failure.  

American Antisemitism

 Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's home set on fire The arsonist was a Pennsylvania criminal. 

Two embassy personnel gunned down in a Washington, DC street by a murderer shouting "Free Palestine." 

Now an Egyptian Muslim in Colorado has used an improvised flamethrower to set on fire elderly people calling for the release of Israeli hostages. 

Pray and take action against antisemitism. 

Lech Walesa Reacts to Poland's Presidential Election