Why romance fans are rooting for the rich guy in 'Materialists' — and what it says about dating in 2025

Yahoo

2 days ago

Materialists, the upcoming A24 romance from Past Lives director Celine Song, doesn't hit theaters until June 13, but the love triangle at its core is already sparking heated debate online — with one guy, perhaps surprisingly, coming out as the clear winner.
Dakota Johnson stars as Lucy, a New York City matchmaker caught between two suitors: John (Chris Evans), a waiter with a past connection to Lucy, and Harry (Pedro Pascal), a charming finance mogul eager to get to know her. Both Evans and Pascal have worn the crown of 'internet boyfriend,' but social media seems to be heavily favoring one: People want Lucy to end up with the rich guy.
'If she doesn't choose him, it's the greatest misreading of the room in cinema history,' one person wrote in the comments section of a clip of Johnson and Pascal in the film. 'Nobody is choosing the poor waiter in 2025. We're choosing the millionaire who looks like Pedro Pascal.'
'If she chooses brokie, it's literally poor man propaganda,' another added, urging women to 'know your worth.' Meanwhile, a third person accused the film of 'pushing the agenda' of loving a 'poor, messed up man' over the 'handsome, wealthy, polite, loving man.'
There's no doubt that both Evans and Pascal are conventionally attractive, not to mention capable of charming Johnson's character in the few clips we've seen from the film. So, why is social media begging Lucy to bag Harry? Here's what romance experts have to say about the preference for Pascal's character — and how it points to a shift in dating overall.
What's striking about the discourse around the Materialists love triangle is how sharply it contrasts with the way we talked about previous romantic triangles.
Think back to 2004's The Notebook: The film framed Allie (Rachel McAdams) choosing passionate, if impulsive, Noah (Ryan Gosling) over the wealthy and reliable Lon (James Marsden) as the right call, with the two living a long, happy life together. The same dynamic plays out in 2002's Sweet Home Alabama, in which Reese Witherspoon picks her rugged first love over her polished, well-off fiancé (Patrick Dempsey), and again in 1994's Reality Bites, in which Winona Ryder's character gravitates toward Ethan Hawke's brooding slacker Troy — with whom she shares sizzling chemistry — over the more stable and successful Michael (Ben Stiller). In each case, emotional history and romantic spark won out over financial security and predictability … and audiences loved it.
Of course, money has always been part of the dating conversation — it's why a wealthy, successful man can be a powerful rival in a romantic love triangle in the first place. We get why it's appealing to be with someone who can jet you off to Paris on a whim — or, you know, foot the bill for dinner. But even as more women are now going to college than men and young women are outearning men in several cities, the desire for financial security in a partner hasn't disappeared — in fact, it may be growing.
'There's always a battle between scarcity and abundance, or security versus passion,' matchmaker Sandra Hatton, CEO of the dating app When We First, tells Yahoo Entertainment. 'People are more leaning into security right now.'
But why? One reason: Growing concerns about the economy mean people are more in tune with the importance of stability. (It's worth noting that The Notebook came out four years before the 2008 stock market crash, for example.) But at the same time, women are working hard and earning more — and many 'want someone who matches their ambition,' Hatton says.
Wendy Walsh, a relationship expert, psychology professor and adviser for DatingAdvice.com, tells Yahoo Entertainment that this desire for security is rooted in evolutionary research. Heterosexual women, she said, tend to look for men who can provide resources — or in the case of Pascal's character, economic stability. 'Having that backup plan — that buffer of having resource potential from a male — is paramount to survival, and survival of one's kids,' she explained. 'So, therefore, I understand all the comments saying, 'Go for the rich dude.''
Successful, financially secure women might be looking for someone even more well-off than they are, even as the pool of such men continues to shrink.
And it's worth noting that this conversation is coming around at the same time as talks around the so-called 'tradwife life,' in which women rely on wealthier partners to take care of them so they can focus on domestic duties instead. But even the people the internet has coined 'tradwives' — the influencers who are popularizing a more domestically focused lifestyle — have their own successful, thriving careers online.
When we think back on romantic movies of the '90s and early '00s, many of the men whom our heroines chose were still figuring themselves out — not quite as polished as, say, the Lons of the world. In a way, that made things seem more romantic, Julie Nguyen, a Los Angeles-based dating coach working with the app Hily, tells Yahoo Entertainment.
'We used to root for the underdog. We really believed that love conquers all — that it's all we need, that it can overcome every test, every trial, every difficulty, as long as we have each other,' she says. 'But in 2025, the fairy tale has updated. We're not as interested in dating someone for their potential instead of their reality.'
And even though the Materialists trailer shows sweet moments with Evans's character — he knows her 'Coke and beer' drink order before she even asks, for example — Nguyen noted that 'his life isn't together.'
'He's still figuring things out,' she said. 'And I think now, a lot of people would see that as immature…maybe even a little toxic, or just not aligned with what we're looking for anymore. He seems sincere but also like someone you have to wait for or really support to get to where you need to be. And energetically, I think a lot of people want to heal and move into relationships where they're met where they are, rather than having to carry or build someone up.'