Materialists Star Dakota Johnson Would’ve Been ‘Fired’ as a Real Matchmaker, Says Dating Expert—Here’s Why
Dakota Johnson is getting a lot of praise for her role in the film Materialists. In the movie, she plays a professional matchmaker who finds herself caught in a love triangle with characters played by Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal. But not everyone is impressed with how realistic her role is—especially one real-life matchmaker from New York City.
A Real Dating Coach Speaks Out
Maria Avgitidis, a well-known dating coach and matchmaker based in NYC, recently shared her honest opinion about Dakota’s character. She said if someone behaved like Johnson’s character in real life, they would be fired.
Maria spoke to People magazine and said, “I don’t see myself in this at all.” She added that the movie got several things wrong about the matchmaking business and even warned fellow matchmakers not to get too excited about it. “I know you’re about to throw a movie screening for this,” she said, “but tread carefully.”
What’s the Issue?
One scene in the movie shows a first date going badly, involving uncomfortable or violent behavior. Maria pointed out that in real life, a matchmaker would never let something like that slide. She said, “I’ve had to fire clients for bad behavior on dates—only twice in 17 years. But at least they admitted they were wrong.”
Her point is that Dakota’s character acts in ways no professional matchmaker should, and if it were real life, she wouldn’t keep her job.
Director Responds: “It’s Based on Real Experiences”
In response to the criticism, Materialists director Celine Song explained that the movie is actually based on real-life situations. She shared that she once worked at a matchmaking company called Tawkify, and many of the scenes in the movie were inspired by what she saw there.
Song said, “What’s in the movie comes from truths I learned—like how people are treated like objects sometimes in dating. It’s dark but also funny, and still, we go through it all hoping to find love.”
Movie Success
Materialists had a big premiere at the 75th Cannes Film Festival and is now doing well in theaters. Even with the criticism, Dakota Johnson’s performance is being widely appreciated by audiences.
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