Author-director Celine Music, of Previous Lives fame, expressed her concern over a trending opinion about her new film Materialists. Music has impressed critics and audiences in recent times with unconventional sort-of rom-coms, along with her 2023 directorial debut Previous Lives incomes Oscar nods for Finest Unique Screenplay and Finest Image.
This summer season, Music returned in full drive with Materialists, starring a love triangle performed by Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal. Materialists follows Lucy (Johnson), a matchmaker for rich Manhattanites who’s wooed by financier Harry (Pascal), whereas she nonetheless harbors emotions for her down-on-his-luck ex-boyfriend John (Evans).
Materialists is an exploration of the pressures of capitalism on love, however some individuals on-line have taken to calling it “broke man propaganda,” as Lucy (spoilers) finally ends up with John, regardless of Harry providing her every thing she says she desires. In an interview by way of TikTok, Celine Music unhappily responded to the “broke man propaganda” feedback, because it disappoints her that persons are lacking the purpose of the film.
Take a look at Music’s feedback beneath:
I believe that it does not make me chortle, as a result of it truly is disappointing to me. I believe that there’s a very actual confusion about feminism and the historical past of feminism. By means of intersectionality, a lot of feminism has been about anti-corporate and anti-capitalist and, after all, it was all the time on the forefront of preventing capitalism, so I am very involved about the way in which that we discuss people who find themselves poor.
Whereas Music acknowledges right here the complicated relationship between historic feminism and Lucy’s want to stay luxuriously, her major concern in regards to the “propaganda” assertion is the way it paints John as a personality, and whether or not he’s deserving of Lucy’s love. Take a look at Music’s extra feedback beneath:
The factor that is essential to me is to emphasize that poverty will not be the fault of the poor. And I believe that provided that, it is vitally brutal. I discover it very merciless to speak about John as a personality who loves Lucy, and who’s an attractive character being performed fantastically by Chris, to speak about him in such merciless phrases as “broke boy” or “broke man.”
There’s something in regards to the classism of that, the sort of hatred of poverty, the hatred of poor individuals, who, once more, it is not their fault that they are poor. I believe that may be a very troubling results of the way in which that the rich individuals have gotten into our hearts about the way it’s your fault should you’re poor, you are a nasty particular person should you’re poor. So it does not make me chortle, truly.
Materialists exhibits Lucy reckoning with the implications of her personal materialistic nature, presenting it as one thing she will’t change about herself. Some viewers appear to be taking the truth that Harry is so excellent as a sign of advantage in wealth, fueling the opinion that the “broke man” should not have “gotten the lady” when he has nothing to supply.
But Materialists suggests a gentle tragedy in how economics are enormous elements in trendy relationship and marriage. Music standing up for her film is critical, as she calls out a much bigger system the place persons are typically locked into their financial standing, however that definitely does not make them undeserving of affection.
Our Take On “Broke Man Propaganda” & Materialists
Fortunately, the higher evaluations for Materialists that I’ve learn appear to grasp the purpose of the film — that the world can be so significantly better if cash weren’t a think about love — whereas admiring the way it handles sure rom-com tropes. Its ending doesn’t mean the monetary issues have disappeared, simply that Lucy and John now have a greater plan to deal with them.
However Music is correct to be upset with this interpretation of the film. Supposedly, persons are watching Materialists and pondering that John must be pursuing a extra profitable profession than appearing, one other approach of claiming that cash ought to all the time be prioritized. And this solely ignores a thousand different financial situations the place it nonetheless takes braveness to struggle for love.
Materialists
9/10
- Launch Date
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June 13, 2025
- Runtime
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117 minutes
- Director
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Celine Music
- Writers
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Celine Music
- Producers
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Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler, David Hinojosa