Director: Celine Song
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, Marin Ireland
Running Time: 117 minutes
Synopsis: In New York City, thirtysomething and single Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is a successful matchmaker, working for an agency managed by Violet (Marin Ireland). While attending the wedding of a couple she matched, Lucy meets handsome and wealthy Harry (Pedro Pascal), and bumps into her former lover John (Chris Evans), who is still a penniless struggling actor. Lucy approaches dating and relationships analytically, and in Harry she finds the rich man she always wanted, although her connection with John is naturally warmer. A sudden crisis at work forces Lucy to re-evaluate her priorities.
What Works Well: This unusually intelligent rom-com abandons frivolous cliches and instead bravely delves into the crass transactional economics of relationships. Matchmaker Lucy is uninterested in chemistry and love, just the stats of wealth, education, upbringing, and physical attributes. Ticking the right materialistic boxes on both sides of the ledger means a match is made, money is paid, and clients are happy. Harry represents what she believes she craves and Harry is what she left behind, and while both will test her values, her difficult-to-match client Sophie (Zoë Winters) is about to severely disrupt the success formula.
What Does Not Work As Well: The running time needed a trim. Director Celine Song's script is generally sharp, but succumbs to repetitiveness with the flabby pacing. Some logic lapses emerge within Lucy's mathematical world, the certainty that only a wealthy man will satisfy her crumbling quickly into contradictions once Harry starts his pursuit.
Key Quote:
John: Why does anybody even get married?
Lucy: Because people tell them they should, and because they're lonely, and because they're hopeful.
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