Materialists (2025) Film Review

A young and ambitious New York City matchmaker finds herself torn between a seemingly perfect match and her imperfect ex-boyfriend

Materialists is directed by Celine Song director of Past Lives (2023).

Following up such a beautiful film such as Past Lives was always going to be a tough task, it’s the sort of mindset of that you constantly ask yourself “where do I go from here?” While Materialists is not as good as Past Lives and might not be as subtle, there is still a lot here of what worked spectacularly well in Past Lives and once again Celine Song tackles various themes in compelling ways.

The acting all around is quite fantastic, Dakota Johnson gives yet another solid performance to add to her line of work, it’s a bit of a more quiet performance for her but that’s not a bad thing at all. She works incredibly well with Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans (has very strong chemistry with the latter) and the last half of the film is where she truly stands out and gives sort of a heart breaking performance when the film goes into some brutally honest conversations about modern dating and the unpredictability of connection.

Pedro Pascal is great here but he does not get as much screen time as Johnson or Evans, admittedly his character Harry Castillo isn’t as interesting as the rest of the characters around him. But Pascal’s performance is more than enough to make up for it, this might not be one of Pascal’s all time great performances but it’s a bit different from what he usually does.

Chris Evans is the standout of the film, as soon as he enters the film he steals every single scene he’s in. There’s something about the way his character John Pitts talks that makes the dialogue flow so well, he still has that great comedic impulse in him it’s due to him that some of the humor present in the film works at all. His chemistry with Johnson is excellent and there’s some genuinely touching moments between the two. Evans does a fantastic job of matching the atmosphere Celine Song is going for, he’s able to quickly adapted to the tone shift that appears in the later half of the film quite easily and from there goes all out with his performance.

While the writing does have its hiccups at times (some of the side characters could have used more development) and there are moments that could have absolutely used a bit more of a power push. I do think what Celine Song is telling the viewer is done very well. Yes the tone shift during the later half of the film is a bit bizarre, but it works in the film’s favor. The first bit of the film is a romantic comedy and quite a great one, but then the film hits you with this brutally honest conversation about modern dating and the horrifying unpredictability of connection. Some things are too good to be true, it’s a harsh reality that modern dating can easily go from sunshine and rainbows to downright evil behavior in an instant or even on the same night.

Celine Song’s direction is honest, careful and has this quiet power hit. Whether it be casual conversations between Evans and Johnson or the later half of the film that has tons of hard hitting scenes. Song is able to bring the viewer into the film and make sure they are digesting everything that is going on, in most circumstances tone shifts like what are present in this film would not work. But Celine Song is able to make it work due to how very real this conversation is and by painting a brutally honest picture of how connection can go south.

Materialists might not be as striking as Past Lives but I think the quiet approach that Celine Song takes with this film is more than enough to justify a viewing.

Materialists is available on all VOD platforms.

8/10 B+

Winter Spring Summer Or Fall (2025) Film Review

Remi and Barnes, two very different teenagers, meet by chance in the winter of their senior year, then spend four days together over the course of a year that will change their lives forever.

Winter Spring Summer Or Fall is directed by Tiffany Paulsen which is her directorial debut.

Winter Spring Summer Or Fall is a romantic drama film that sure does exist, I did not go into this one with very high expectations and while it’s nowhere near one of the worst movies I’ve seen so far this year. That really does not make it a good one.

The performances are fine enough here, Jenna Ortega (especially during the last 15 minutes) and Percy Hynes White in particular have moments where they really try to make the film work. The rest of the cast are given very little to do which is to be expected for what the movie is going for. As far as characters are concerned there is just really not all that much going on here, it’s very typical teen romance characters that are filled to the brim with cliches.

The writing is what completely destroys this movie, the script from Dan Schoffer who previously wrote Not Cool (the Shane Dawson movie) goes about as well as a bad high school film project. The final act in particular repeats the exact same plot point twice within 5 minutes of each other, for example at one point after their breakup Remi (played by Jenna Ortega) wants to reconnect with Barnes (played by Percy Hynes White) so they meet up again and Remi realizes she still loves Barnes but doesn’t tell him. That’s simple enough…until they do the exact same thing but reverse only Barnes does not tell Remi that he still loves her it’s almost comical how badly it’s executed, I will admit it this did get a laugh out of me simply due to how much of a baffling decision it was.

I will say that I was not expecting the film to be this low of a budget, I knew it was an indie film obviously but this still caught me a bit by surprise. This does not really hurt or benefit the movie in any sort of way when it comes to how it was shot or other technical aspects because I do think there are some decent shots here and I kind of liked the soundtrack particularly the original song “What Are You Doing Later?” by Evangeline, It’s not anything outstanding but it fits the movie decently well.

I wish there was more to be said here but Winter Spring Summer Or Fall is incredibly bare bones especially for the romantic comedy genre, you could absolutely do far worse than this one but that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement.

Winter Spring Summer Or Fall releases tomorrow in theaters and VOD platforms.

4/10 D+

Dreaming Of You (2025) Film Review

Miles Puck meets a girl during a sleep study. He has anxiety-induced night terrors. His stress rises due to the new relationship, job, and nightmares. He uses a teddy bear to cope with the night terrors.

Dreaming Of You is directed by Jack McCafferty which is his directorial debut!

Dreaming Of You is a cute one for sure this is a film that while flawed and loses itself at some points does in the end have a huge heart and passion on its side. The many styles the movie goes for with animation is quite honestly impressive especially given how low budget it feels.

The performances are quite fun here and are part of why the film works as well as it does, Jack McCafferty (who also directs the film as I said before) it’s charming, fun and connects well with the rest of the cast especially Lauren LaVera and Ian Ross. Speaking of which LaVera once again hits it out of the park with another strong performance and really shows she has such beautiful screen presence, her chemistry with McCafferty is solid and the two are just a delight to watch as their simple yet engaging conversations continue through the film. Ian Ross brings the humor to the film and does a pretty good job at doing so, his character isn’t anything groundbreaking but much like the rest of the cast he’s charming so it works in his favor.

The idea of the film is great, the many dreams we get put into is genuinely interesting and the different styles used as I said before are genuinely impressive. Some are definitely better than others but something they all have is a sense of charm, they don’t overstay their welcome and each has their own personality. Admittedly the film does breeze through some of them a bit too quickly which does not give some of them a lot of time to speak for themselves, however the charm is still felt and they are all still quite beautiful to look at as well.

The romance parts are genuinely cute, as I said earlier McCafferty and LaVera have great chemistry between one another, if you have seen any other romantic comedy film their characters aren’t going to be exactly anything new. However what makes them work is due to the passion and charm that’s held, the laughs the movie gives the viewer are genuine and the dialogue while at times corny actually do have some raw moments.

Charm is the word I have been using throughout this review and I think it’s the best way to sum the film up. It’s filled with charm and passion, even when the film has its missteps it gets back up on its feet and still captures this beautiful atmosphere that a lot of romantic comedies seem to really miss nowadays. This might not be one of the absolute best films of the year but to say I did not have a great time with this one would be a lie!

Dreaming Of You releases tomorrow on all VOD platforms.

6/10 C+

Picture This (2025) Film Review

Struggling photographer Pia is told she’ll find true love and career success within the next five dates she goes on. With her sister’s wedding looming and her family playing matchmaker, her ex soon reappears, throwing her life into chaos.

Picture This is directed by Prarthana Mohan director of The Miseducation of Bindu (2020), All For Her (2021) and Christmas Is Cancelled (2021).

Not a whole lot to report here, Picture This is the first thing you think of when somebody talks about how forgettable a lot of streaming movies are. Outside of a few performances and the cultural aspects that do help this movie at least have some sort of identity. The movie is very much a forgettable romantic comedy that you will forget about after viewing.

The performances I will say are a lot better than you would think, Simone Ashley is easily the standout with her natural charisma and her ability to give her character Pia some actual depth (all be it not anything groundbreaking) is easily the movie’s best asset. Her chemistry with Luke Fetherson (who plays Pia’s best friend Jay), ends up leading to some of the movie’s most enjoyable moments. While not completely original their dialogue at the very least is more engaging than the rest of the movie’s formulaic plot.

Hero Fiennes is fine enough here, but unfortunately the dialogue doesn’t give the necessary character development or chemistry with Simone Ashley to make his character Charlie (ex-boyfriend of Pia) work at all. The only thing we are given about him is the typical cliches the genre likes to throw at the viewer, upon immediately seeing his character you already have a good idea of where the movie is going to go with Charlie.

Everything else is incredibly bland unfortunately, while there is some vibrant depiction of the Indian wedding festivities which adds color and cultural richness. The rest of the filming really doesn’t standout and absolutely suffers from the low budget feel, it feels like it needed more of a stronger push to pop out but can’t quite do it. The writing is about as bland as you can really get with romantic comedies, while not terrible (this actually fairs a bit better than some straight to streaming romantic comedy films when it comes to writing.) but that still does not give the movie the power it needs to reach the finish line.

Overall Picture This isn’t the worst attempt but it’s definitely one of the most forgettable, Simone Ashley’s charming performance and the few moments of potential aren’t enough to save this movie from being forgettable.

Picture This is available on Amazon Prime Video.

4/10 D+

Quick Review: My Fault: London (2025)

An 18-year-old girl moves from America to London with her mother and wealthy stepfather. She meets her stepbrother, and an attraction brews despite their efforts. Unaware, her estranged father tracks her down after release from prison

My Fault: London is directed by Dani Girdwood and Charlotte Fassler which is their directorial debut. The film serves as a remake of the 2023 Spanish film My Fault which is based on the novel Culpa Mía by Mercedes Ron.

First and foremost I have not seen the original Spanish film, I had no idea this was a remake before watching it and considering how I felt about this movie and the reviews for the original I did not bother watching the original.

I’m not exactly sure what to really say here about My Fault: London there’s the occasional decent shot from cinematographer Ed Moore who does a surprisingly solid job of building certain scenes. It is not anything mind blowing but for a movie like this it was definitely not expected. The acting is rough, Asha Banks and Matthew Broome try the best they can with a script that is very much fanfiction like (it does not help that this was originally a Wattpad story) which leads to a lot of laughably bad moments and ones that really make you regret watching (falling in love with your stepbrother plot is here).

The 119 minute running time also heavily hurts the movie, it overstays its welcome almost immediately and never really picks back up. There are some decent visuals here but they admittedly do not serve any point outside of making the movie look a touch better, I give props for at least attempting to make one of these films based on a Wattpad story look decent visually.

I don’t have much else to say, what you see is what you get with My Fault: London I’m clearly not the target audience for this one, there’s definitely far worse out there but that is not exactly a compliment.

My Fault: London is available on Amazon Prime Video.

3/10 D-

You’re Cordially Invited (2025) Film Review!

A woman planning her sister’s ideal wedding and the father of a bride-to-be discover their destination weddings at a remote resort are double-booked. When both parties decide to share the small venue, chaos ensues and disaster awaits.

You’re Cordially Invited is directed by Nicholas Stoller director of Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), Neighbors (2014), Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016), Bros (2022) and a few others.

You’re Cordially Invited is very much a bad early 2000s romantic comedy movie that somehow ended up releasing in the 2020s, while it’s not one of the absolute worst out there (trust me they could have done a lot worse) this movie suffers from some of the exact same problems as a lot do in the genre.

I will say for the first 30 minutes or so the movie actually had a promising start, the jokes were decently funny, Will Farrell was giving a genuinely touching performance as a father who desperately wants to make his daughter’s marriage the best it can be. Geraldine Viswanathan was actually not bad here in the supporting role, she gives a genuine performance that isn’t really affected from the movie’s over the top style it tries to use for the rest of the movie. It’s not a mind blowing performance by any means but it is a decent one that does make you feel invested towards her.

Unfortunately the rest of the movie goes towards a very over the top style that was common in the 2000s, sometimes it worked other times it didn’t and here is an example of it NOT working. Will Farrell’s usual shtick appears that takes so much away from his character and turns him into familiar territory that we have already seen Farrell do before. Reese Witherspoon is fine enough of here but much like Farrell doesn’t really do anything we haven’t seen her do before.

The writing is filled to the brim with predictable plot elements, terrible jokes and it becomes incredibly cliched. It’s also one of those movies where it does not know when to end, there’s so many points where the movie could have easily ended as all of the plot points were wrapped up but it still kept going on and on. There’s absolutely no reason why this needed to be 109 minutes long, stretching a romantic comedy like this is already asking for issues to arise but to cram in as many gags that go on for way longer than they should seals the movie’s fate.

Overall You’re Cordially Invited is incredibly forgettable, while it’s not the worst romantic comedy out there it is one of those movies where you put it on in the background while doing chores and don’t think much of it.

You’re Cordially Invited is available on Amazon Prime Video!

4/10 D+

Sweethearts (2024) Film Review!

Two college freshmen make a pact to break up with their high school sweethearts over Thanksgiving break, leading them on a chaotic night out in their home town that puts their co-dependent friendship to the test.

Sweethearts is directed by Jordan Weiss which is her directorial debut.

Sweethearts is one of those movies you instantly think of when someone says “straight to streaming movie” while I definitely think this is better than a lot of Netflix’s romantic comedy output recently. That’s really not saying all that much since Sweethearts ends up suffering from some of the exact same issues.

If there’s one major positive here it’s the performances from Kiernan Shipka and Nico Hiraga who really do the best they can with such a shotty script that quickly loses its charm during the second half of the movie. There are at least some moments you believe their characters Jamie (played by Kiernan Shipka) and Ben (played by Nico Hiraga) have this bond, it’s just a shame all of these moments are in the first half of the movie and not the second half. Where the movie kind of needs to pick up the pace with the development of these characters.

The second half of the movie boils down to a terrible version of Booksmart (2019), we have seen plenty of movies trying to replicate what Booksmart (2019) did and most have failed. That’s most certainly the case here, the movie goes about it in the most predictable and lazy way possible that you can see coming from a mile away. Unfortunately Shipka and Hiraga can’t really sell you the bond between their characters mainly due to a huge lack of development, sure we are told they are good friends but we never actually get anything more concrete than that.

Despite my issues I don’t think Sweethearts is one of the worst romantic comedies out there, it’s just a very underwhelming one that is bound to be forgotten about very quickly.

Sweethearts is available on MAX or HBO Max.

4/10 D+

Your Monster (2024) Film Review!

Soft-spoken actress Laura Franco’s life crumbles. She regains her voice after encountering a terrifying but oddly charming Monster living in her closet.

Your Monster is directed by Caroline Lindy which is her directorial debut.

What happens when you blend Old Hollywood and Broadway elements together? You get Your Monster a film before going in I heard was really great but honestly i definitely think that’s a huge understatement, I think this is quite honestly one of the best films of the year for quite a number of reasons from the performances, to Caroline Lindy blending so many genres perfectly together it’s all there.

Starting with the performances Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey are some of the best of the year. Melissa Barrera as Laura Franco is her best performance of her career so far, I think this role gave Melissa exactly what she needed to really put it out there and say “hey I’m here to stay” her character is hilarious, actually quite relatable and actually quite raw. The scenes of her letting all her anger out are filled to the brim with passion, you can absolutely tell Barrera went all in and absolutely nailed it. Melissa Barrera’s singing voice continues to impress here, it was already impressive with In The Heights (2021) but I would argue it’s displayed so much better here. Her singing “My Stranger” alone is just beautiful and is such a beautiful way to close the film as well. Melissa Barrera is able to adapt to the change of tone when needed, whether it’s a humorous, dramatic or even a musical one she’s able to turn every single scene into a blast. Something that a talented performance is able to do!

What I said about Melissa Barrera can easily be applied to Tommy Dewey, his character simply known as Monster is a ton of fun. The chemistry between Barrera and Dewey is honestly heartfelt and actually quite beautiful, the little moments of the two looking at each other in the eyes is truly mesmerizing and makes the viewer all the more invested in both of them. On his on Dewey plays a lot like The Beast from Beauty and The Beast (1991) but at the same time is a very different character and his character development goes on a different path as well. We learn about Monster over the course of the film and what his goals are, he bonds with Laura Franco over music, general talk and so on. Dewey just gives a phenomenal performance all around while doing this.

As I said at the beginning Your Monster combines Old Hollywood elements with Broadway elements. The Broadway elements are given, the music moments really capture the Broadway feel especially when Melissa Barrera sings “My Stranger” she has this powerful and clear voice that switches different moods that screams Broadway. The character’s mannerisms especially Laura Franco and Monster really do have Old Hollywood touches to them, the romantic scenes especially you get a lot of the mannerisms, speech and even character moments. Cinematography Will Stone is able to capture all of this perfectly especially when combined with the investing atmosphere throughout the film.

Finally director Caroline Lindy does such a masterful job in the director’s chair. She has an eye for engaging shots that really tell the viewer a little more about each of the scenes, there’s one scene in particular that really stands out that has both Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey just go all out. They both have a range of emotions during this moment that Lindy captures so well and brings so much passion as well. Combining all of this makes for a fascinating picture that you never want to stop looking at.

Overall Your Monster is one of the best films of the year. It’s hilarious, heartfelt and a ton of fun, Caroline Lindy is definitely a director to keep an eye on because this was incredible. If you haven’t checked this one out please do so.

Your Monster is in theaters and will be on VOD platforms tomorrow!

10/10 A+

Quick Review: Fly Me To The Moon (2024) Film Review

Sparks fly between a marketing executive and a NASA official as he makes preparations for the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Fly Me To The Moon is directed by Greg Berlanti director of The Broken Hearts Club (2000), Life as We Know It (2010) and Love Simon (2018).

Definitely not as bad as I anticipated but still very forgettable and ends up not really amounting to all that much, it’s sort of a shame because I do think at least half of this movie is pretty alright. When it focuses on the space stuff it’s pretty decent, when it focuses on the romance it’s about as bland as you can really get with a romantic comedy.

Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson are both great here, both incredibly charming and have the charisma to back it up. The chemistry can be a little mixed at times due to movie switching back and forth between drama and romance. However the two for the most part are able to adapt to the switch in tone which is mainly thanks to the two’s star power.

The biggest problems with Fly Me To The Moon is the previously mentioned switching back and forth in tone and the pacing, the rest of the movie is unfortunately not able to adapt well to the tone switching which leads to a lot very messy scenes that just don’t grab the viewer’s attention. The running time being 132 minutes long is incredibly ridiculous and could have easily been trimmed down into a 90 or so minute movie that would not have over stayed it’s welcome.

Overall there isn’t much to be said about Fly Me To The Moon, there’s a decent amount to like and maybe you will walk away getting something out of it. But unfortunately this one is a bit too much on the forgettable side to recommend.

Fly Me To The Moon is available on all VOD platforms.

5/10 C

Find Me Falling (2024) Film Review

After a failed comeback album, a rock star retreats to a cliffside home on Cyprus, only to find his new life complicated by visitors, and an old flame.

Find Me Falling is directed by Stelana Kris director of Committed (2014).

I’ll give Find Me Falling this at least it’s not as bad as expected. As far as Netflix romantic comedies go at least this one is trying to say something given that the subject matter is suicide. The movie might not really say anything all that well but at the very least it’s there.

Outside of that there’s a lot of typical romantic comedy cliches, the characters are fine enough but don’t get enough development to really make them investing. Harry Connick Jr. gives a decent performance and there’s no denying that the filming combined with the location is where the movie shines the most. There’s some genuinely beautiful shots in this movie that I was absolutely not expecting, it’s definitely one of the better looking Netflix original movies.

With that being said the script is completely flat and shows glimpses of what could have been a decent movie but doesn’t turn those glimpses into something that ends up mattering.

Really don’t have much else to say here, this is basically Netflix romantic comedy of the week. Where you watch it and then forget it after a few days, not as bad as some of the others but that doesn’t mean all that much.

Find Me Falling is available on Netflix.

4/10 D+