The Difficulties of the Modern Rom-Com

Smart and charming. It's a difficult combo for a rom-com to pull off. When you ascend the rom-com ladder above the mere fluff, the formulaic, the over-troped (which is, face it, most of them; it's an industry), there are a few that stand out, managing to amuse us, make us think, and sweep viewers off their feet.

- Scott Garceau

Smart and charming. It's a difficult combo for a rom-com to pull off. When you ascend the rom-com ladder above the mere fluff, the formulaic, the over-troped (which is, face it, most of them; it's an industry), there are a few that stand out, managing to amuse us, make us think, and sweep viewers off their feet. A couple examples that really hold up: When Harry Met Sally (1989) still pulls you in with the effortless charm of its leads, its witty dialogue and age-old dilemma of how to go beyond being "friends." Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011) has a preposterous plot twist, but it's smart and oozes with charm.

Celine Song's new film, Materialists, doesn't really want to charm us. That's its packaging, its subterfuge. Song—critically adored for Past Lives, that bittersweet look at missed opportunities, paths not taken in life and romance—wants to talk about other things here. Her main voice is Lucy (Dakota Johnson), a Manhattan matchmaker (are there still such things, in the age of Tinder and dating apps?) who is committed to the idea that marriages can be teased out with calculators and lists of sellable features. "It's just math," she says early on, with an enigmatic, bemused expression. Lucy has successfully matched up nine couples straight to the altar, which certainly merits a cake and champagne celebration at the company she works at, Adore. (So '90s!)

Harry, the brother of her latest marital "mission accomplished," sets down next to her at the singles table of the wedding reception, and he's... Pedro Pascal, so you know the sparks will fly.