Latest news with #TheMaterialists'
Buzz Feed
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
The Materialists' Director Celine Song On Film's Ending
Earlier this summer, director Celine Song released her sophomore movie, The Materialists, starring Dakota Johnson as Lucy, Pedro Pascal as wealthy financier Harry, and Chris Evans as struggling actor/ part-time waiter John. In the film, Lucy is in somewhat of a love triangle with John, who is her ex-boyfriend, and charming Harry — but she ultimately ends up choosing John after he proposes to her in Central Park with a flower ring. Celine previously opened up about her decision for Lucy to follow her heart over financial stability in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, where she explained: 'What's amazing about Pride and Prejudice is that the person who is going to pay off your debt and your family's debt is also going to be the love of your life. What an amazing fantasy, but we know in life, that's not necessarily true.''I think it's so much easier to be somebody who is cynical and materialistic about what we're looking for. I totally understand it. It's fun to be like: 'Well, who cares about love?'' she went on. 'But what I believe more than anything is that the fantasy of true love, the hope of it, the thing that's really hard and humiliating and embarrassing — it's the bravest thing you can do." However, The Materialists' ending remains pretty divisive for many, with some going so far as to call it 'broke man propaganda' as they questioned Lucy's final decision. And in a new interview, Celine expertly shut down this rhetoric as she bluntly admitted that she doesn't find the jokes surrounding her movie funny in any capacity. While speaking to Refinery29, Celine was alerted to a viral Letterboxd review of the movie, with the journalist saying: 'I did read one Letterbox review comment that really made me laugh that said: 'Not Celine promoting broke men in this economy,' which really made me laugh. What do you think of that?' But Celine was not amused, and remained deadpan as she replied: 'Thank you for asking me about it, I think that it doesn't make me laugh because it really is disappointing to me.' 'I think that there is a very real confusion about feminism and the history of feminism,' she added. 'Because through intersectionality, so much of feminism has been about anti-corporate and anti-capitalist, and, of course, it was always at the forefront of fighting classism. So, I'm very concerned about the way that we talk about people who are poor.' 'I think the thing that's very important to me is to stress that poverty is not the fault of the poor,' Celine continued. 'And given that, it is very brutal, I find it very cruel, to talk about John as a character, who loves Lucy, and who is a beautiful character being played beautifully by Chris, and to talk about him in such cruel terms as 'broke boy' or 'broke man.'' 'I think that there is something about the classism of that the kind of hatred of poverty, the hatred of poor people, who, again, it's not their fault that they're poor,' she went on. 'I think that that is a very troubling result of the way that the wealthy people have gotten into our hearts; about how it's your fault if you're poor, and you're a bad person if you're poor.' 'So, it doesn't make me laugh, actually, just makes me feel very concerned that anybody would talk about my movie and my characters, and then to really think about it in such classist terms,' Celine concluded. 'The whole movie is about fighting the way that capitalism is trying to colonize our hearts and colonize love.' This clip recently went viral on X as people praised Celine for the way that she expertly shut down the discourse while refusing to indulge the interviewer's question, leading to a wider conversation about how inane modern day interview culture has become. One person tweeted the footage alongside the simple caption: 'this rules' on Sunday, and it has since been seen more than 18 million times, and racked up 10s of thousands of retweets, likes, and popular quote tweet reads: 'a lot to be said about interview culture now but it's actually rousing to see a filmmaker bucking the light tone of a prompt to defend how we see and talk about the poor. I don't know if I've ever seen a big filmmaker say 'being poor is not the fault of the poor' like this.''so much of movie promotion has become a humiliation ritual the last few years, and I loveeee that she's refusing to play ball. Artists are entitled to take their own work seriously!' somebody else wrote. 'a great example of leveraging the role you have as the person being interviewed to steer the conversation towards something meaningful and worthwhile. this is clearly a serious person tired of unserious questions. i'll have to watch her movies,' another one more reasoned: 'I get the interviewer was trying to be lighthearted but like you showed her a post that was blatant misinterpretation of her movie! i'm glad she was honest and said this disturbs her.'And another wrote: 'This is immaterial to my thoughts on Celine Song or her work but I think more filmmakers, actors, whoever should keep responding seriously to these glib attempts at viral bullshit.'
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dakota Johnson Opens Up About Who's To Blame For Marvel's ‘Madame Web' Failure
Dakota Johnson has no regrets about 'Madame Web,' despite the 2024 Marvel superhero film being deemed a critical and commercial flop. In an interview with The Los Angeles Times this week, Johnson said the film's failure 'wasn't my fault' and was, instead, due to 'a lot of creative decisions' made by 'people who don't have a creative bone in their body.' 'It's really hard to make art that way. Or to make something entertaining that way,' she explained. 'And I think unfortunately with 'Madame Web,' it started out as something and turned into something else. And I was just sort of along for the ride at that point. But that happens. Bigger-budget movies fail all the time.' Directed by S.J. Clarkson, 'Madame Web' stars Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic whose brush with death awakens dormant psychic powers. In addition to Johnson, the film features an all-star supporting cast, which includes Emma Roberts, Adam Scott and Sydney Sweeney. Reviews for 'Madame Web' were largely negative, with The Hollywood Reporter calling it 'an airless and stilted endeavor driven by a mechanical screenplay.' The film reportedly cost about $80 million to produce but raked in a measly $25.8 million in its opening week, making it the lowest box office opening in the history of Sony's 'Spider-Man' franchise. Johnson, who returns to the big screen in the romantic comedy 'The Materialists,' has previously hinted at her frustrations with 'Madame Web.' 'Unfortunately, I'm not surprised that this has gone down the way it has,' she told Bustle in March of last year, shortly after the film was released. 'I had never done anything like it before. I probably will never do anything like it again because I don't make sense in that world. And I know that now.' 'But sometimes in this industry, you sign on to something, and it's one thing and then as you're making it, it becomes a completely different thing, and you're like, Wait, what?' she added at the time. 'But it was a real learning experience, and of course it's not nice to be a part of something that's ripped to shreds, but I can't say that I don't understand.' Johnson offered a more pragmatic take on the situation in her Los Angeles Times chat, telling the outlet: 'There's no part of me that's like, 'Oh, I'll never do that again' to anything. I've done even tiny movies that didn't do well. Who cares?' Fortunately for Johnson, early buzz on 'The Materialists' ― which also stars Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal ― has been positive. Critics who have screened the movie thus far have called it 'a brutally realistic and beautiful examination of love,' while praising Johnson as 'a perfect imperfect protagonist.' Lea Michele Debunks Rumor She Can't Read Once Again, This Time On Camera Dakota Johnson Says She Pulled Disgusting Prank — And Polygraph Confirms It Vanessa Bryant Channels Rihanna To Address Pregnancy Rumors Like A Boss
Time of India
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Dakota Johnson defends herself against 'Madame Web' backlash ahead of 'The Materialists' release; says, "It wasn't my fault.."
Naturally, the finger-pointing began when Madame Web crashed and burned. Dakota Johnson is stating clearly now that she is not the one at fault. New Film, Old Baggage Dakota Johnson is once again making headlines as 'The Materialists' gets ready for release this month, but not just because of her on-screen chemistry with Chris Evans and internet sensation Pedro Pascal . A less flattering discussion about Dakota Johnson's box office performance has been rekindled by the excitement surrounding her most recent project. Backlash from a Superhero Misstep Although many people are still thinking about Spider-Man spinoff 'Madame Web,' one of 2024's most infamous failures, Johnson has some insightful observations about why it didn't work out, even though the upcoming romantic comedy might finally give her a commercial victory. "It wasn't my fault," Johnson said in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, laughing as she addressed the elephant in the room. The actor shifts the blame from herself to the larger industry dynamics that she believes doomed Madame Web from the beginning, and that line alone has caused a media frenzy. 'There's this thing that happens now where a lot of creative decisions are made by committee,' she explained during an interview with Bustle. 'Or made by people who don't have a creative bone in their body. And it's really hard to make art that way. Or to make something entertaining that way,' Johnson further reflected as she continued, 'And I think, unfortunately, with Madame Web, it started out as something and turned into something else. And I was just sort of along for the ride at that point. But that happens. Bigger-budget movies fail all the time.' 'Madame Web' Johnson played Cassandra Webb in Madame Web, a film about a paramedic in New York City who discovers she can see into the future and has to defend three teenage girls who will become Spider-Women from a villainous Ezekiel Sims. The film failed both critically and commercially, despite having a promising premise and a cast that included big-name actors. In early 2025, it won three Golden Raspberry (Razzie) Awards, including Worst Actress, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Picture for Johnson herself. This is a trifecta that no actor can hope to achieve. Dakota's Moving On Without Regrets Johnson, however, shrugged off the criticism during an interview with the Los Angeles Times by saying, "I don't have a Band-Aid over it." "There isn't a part of me that says, 'Oh, I'll never do that again.'" I've done tiny movies that didn't do well. Who cares?" Dakota Johnson's Materialists will premiere in U.S. theaters on June 13, 2025. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
