# 176. Materialists (dir. Celine Song)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/seventh-row-podcast-1017704/176-materialists-dir-celine-song
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/seventh-row-podcast-1017704/176-materialists-dir-celine-song.md
Podcast: [Seventh Row Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/seventh-row-podcast-1017704)
Published: 2025-06-20T02:09:00+00:00
Episode link: https://seventhrow.libsyn.com/176-materialists-dir-celine-song
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/seventhrow/176_Materialists.mp3?dest-id=1934753
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/seventh-row-podcast-1017704/episodes/176-materialists-dir-celine-song
Duration seconds: 2610

## Resource

In this episode, Alex Heeney digs into Celine Song's Materialists, a film about Lucy, a matchmaker struggling with her own love triangle. Will Lucy (Dakota Johnson) choose love — in the form of her poor ex John (Chris Evans) — or money with eligible bachelor Harry (Pedro Pascal)? And can love and money even co-exist? With its charming cast, elegant blocking, and standout sound design, Materialists could have been a sharp, class-conscious rom-com. But for all its promise, it ends up skimming the surface. You will hear: What works well in the film, including the visual storytelling and sound design Where the film struggles, especially with its thin characterization and reluctance to fully engage with class and money Comparisons with other works, such as Gossip Girl (2007–2012) and Patricia Rozema's Mansfield Park (1999), that tackle similar themes with more depth Links Mentioned: 🎟️ Reel Ruminators: http://seventh-row.com/reelruminators 🎥 Guide to One of the Best Films of 2024: seventh-row.com/guide 📚 Kelly Reichardt ebook: http://reichardtbook.com 💡 Lindsay Pugh on Materialists Referenced Episodes: Ep 137: Luca Guadagnino's Challengers TIFF 2024 Ep 7: Luca Guadagnino's Queer Ep. 172 and 173: Jane Austen Wrecked My Life — a film that delivers more fully on the promise of a smart, satisfying modern rom-com.

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/seventh-row-podcast-1017704/episodes/176-materialists-dir-celine-song/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/seventh-row-podcast-1017704/176-materialists-dir-celine-song.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.