The scene is familiar: a woman ends her engagement with the man she adores, not because of a lack of chemistry but due to his insufficient wealth and social status. Fast forward eight years, and this same man, now strikingly handsome and incredibly affluent, reappears in her life.
This echoes the storyline of Jane Austen’s “Persuasion,” where Anne Elliot encounters Frederick Wentworth after rejecting him years prior due to his financial shortcomings. At 27, considered ‘ancient’ by societal standards of her time, Anne faces pressure from her family to marry a wealthier suitor. Just when it seems she must make a difficult choice, Wentworth has achieved success in his naval career, and his feelings for Anne remain just as strong. The inevitability of their love leads to a straightforward resolution: marrying him becomes an obvious choice.
Now, envision a different scenario in which Wentworth returns unchanged, still lovable and devoted but struggling financially. Anne’s dilemma becomes painfully clear—she must choose between her heartfelt love and the comfort that wealth provides.
This compelling tension is central to “Materialists,” released recently to much anticipation. Set against the backdrop of a vibrant summer in twenty-first-century New York City, the film introduces a heroine caught in a love triangle with two strikingly handsome men: one affluent and the other not. With potential for a modern romantic comedy revival, viewers were left eager for a lighthearted, joyous narrative of summer romance.
Unfortunately, the outcome did not meet the expectations.