Plot: What’s it about?
Ah, the wonderful world of dating. It’s a great thing, isn’t it? Just kidding. It sucks. It’s awful. And I thank my lucky stars that I’m married and hopefully won’t ever have to deal with this scene again. I envy my younger brother who married his high school sweetheart. He’s been on one first date in his entire life. Can you even imagine? Then again, I suppose there’s something to be said for variety being the spice of life. But, switching gears, I suppose it’s human nature to seek out a mate, be it male/female and so on. Even the super rich. Come to think of it, that might complicate things. If you’re well-to-do, how can you really be sure that someone likes you for you or just for what you’re worth? I guess you can’t, which is one of the cornerstones of Celine Song’s film. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s because it wasn’t mass marketed, but given that it managed to rake in over $100 million worldwide, more than a few out there have heard of it. Enough talk, let’s get to it.
Dakota Johnson plays Lucy, a professional matchmaker who works for a company that caters to the wealthy. And Lucy takes a somewhat different approach to love in that it’s a simple “business arrangement.” She’s responsible for nearly ten marriages and they’ve all happened due to her skill of “checking boxes.” A specific salary is what you’re after? Check. Want someone who’s very attractive? Check. I think two examples is enough. But, as fate would have it, Lucy meets Harry (Pedro Pascal), a businessman who’s both rich and successful who, wouldn’t you know it, check all of her own boxes. She also bumps into her ex, John (Chris Evans) who she parted ways with due to his financial situation. Seeing him stirs some old feelings. I think we’ve got enough to go off of and we all know that if two’s company then three’s a crowd. Who’s the odd man out?
There’s nothing terribly profound about this movie, it’s just a nice way to pass a couple of hours. I admire some of the creative choices that Chris Evans is taking with this career. I suppose when you’re worth how ever many millions of dollars he’s worth, you can do that sort of thing. And this is, by my count, the sixth film/TV series that Pedro Pascal has been in this year. Check for yourself. Or don’t. Lastly, I’m glad we’re seeing more of Dakota Johnson. There had to be more to her than steamy sex films or bad Marvel movies. She’s fun here and this is, in essence, her film. Writer/Director Celine Song didn’t re-invent the wheel, but this is also a throwback to the romantic comedies of the 90’s/00’s and it’s something that I welcomed. Sometimes what’s old is new again and I had fun with this. So will you.
Video: How’s it look?
The 1.85:1 AVC HD transfer is certainly indicative of what we’ve come to expect from a new-to-the-format release. And I know I say that a lot, but it’s still true. Colors are bright and bold, we get plenty of sweeping shots of the city, detail in the buildings is impeccable and so forth. We know the drill. Dakota Johnson is certainly not bad to look at either. Colors are warm, sometimes a bit too warm, but I’m not faulting the transfer. I never thought I’d say this, but I think I now prefer films to be shot in 1.85:1 after years of preferring a much wider scope. See? People can change.
Audio: How’s it sound?
This isn’t a movie that I would think screams Dolby Atmos, but…here we are. In all truth, I’m sure this will become more the standard as I’m sure a few decades ago I was saying the same thing about Dolby Digital. And I’d like to thank the three people that might actually have gotten that reference. Kidding aside, this one delivers the goods but with the genre (romantic comedy/dramady) this isn’t one that’s going to shake the pictures off the wall. And if it does, you’ve probably got bigger issues. Vocals are sharp and solid, cool and crisp and so forth. The front stage handles the majority of the action with relative ease and the surrounds kick in with some ambiance at just the right time. It’s a swell, good-sounding mix.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Audio Commentary – Admittedly, I was more than curious to hear writer/director Celine Song’s comments on the film, perhaps what inspired the movie and so forth. And we get it…sort of. It’s a bit more technical than I’d liked, but all in all it’s a good track that any fan of the film should/would enjoy.
- The Math of Modern Love: Making Materialists – In essence, your typical EPK fluff with some behind the scenes footage, some quips from the stars and a brief summary of the film.
- Composer Deep Dive with Japanese Breakfast – Yes, there’s more than meets the eye with “that song that played over the ending credits.”
The Bottom Line
This is a fun movie. Nothing profound, but fun. The lead trio of actors do well in their respective parts, though I could have seen a number of folks in the Pedro Pascal role. Then again, that’s just me. There’s enough in the supplemental department to warrant a purchase, but you’ll have to really be a fan to pick this one up.
