Spoilers for Materialists, which was just released in theaters, are ahead! Read with caution, and go see the romance written and directed by Celine Song.
Whenever I watch one of the best rom-coms or a great romance movie, I’m always eagerly anticipating the love confession, the climactic moment where the characters finally accept and share their feelings for each other. Two of my favorite scenes like this are in the classics Pride & Prejudice and When Harry Met Sally. Now, the 2025 movie schedule’s newest romance, Materialists, also features a knockout love confession from Chris Evans that’s one for the books, and it’s similar to the two moments I just mentioned. Let’s chat about why.
So far, Chris Evans’s performance as John in Materialists has been receiving rave reactions. ScreenRant’s Liam Crowley called this his “best big-screen performance.” My CinemaBlend's review of Materialists also cited this as a career highlight for the actor. Meanwhile, Matt Neglia from Next Best Picture claimed that Evans gives “one of the great romantic monologues in cinema.”
I have to agree, Evans’ two-part love confession at the end of Materialists is amazing, and I had to talk to Celine Song about it. So, during our interview, I asked her about her favorite scenes like this and if any of them influenced this film. I cited When Harry Met Sally, and she agreed with that, before saying:
I mean, I love that one so much. And I also love the one in Pride & Prejudice.
The Past Lives writer/director then told me why she loved these. Speaking about Mr. Darcy’s “I love you” moment in the field and Harry’s New Year’s Eve proclamation, she explained why the “neurotic” nature of both was why she adored them:
I like love confessions where it is sort of like, it reveals the side of a person who is – it's neurotic, you know, and like, charming because of it, very grounded. I think that those are the things that really move me more than when a love confession is just kind of like a whole lot of promises, you know? You want it to feel like it's coming from somebody who is kind of like practically and materially committing something to you. I feel like that's what I really like. I like the neurotic ones. That's why I love the [When Harry Met Sally] one.
It’s worth noting that 2005’s Pride and Prejudice (a movie I adore) was a reference for Song, via A24. And she spoke at length about her love for Nora Ephron and When Harry Met Sally with People.
So, with all that in mind, it got me thinking even more about Chris Evans’ love confession in Materialists. The moment is split between two scenes, one at a wedding and the other outside an apartment. Like Mr. Darcy and Harry, there’s an urgency and rush to John’s confession, and he's more than ready to spend the rest of his life with Dakota Johnson's Lucy.
Then hearing him say, “You asked me how I could love you, I just do, it’s the easiest thing,” was when I really started thinking about these classic romances.
I couldn’t put my finger on why immediately, but Song explained it. All these confessions are neurotic; you can feel their nerves and anxiety as they were vulnerable, and it's always undeniably charming and heartfelt. The love they feel overtakes them, and it's impossible for my heart not to explode with theirs.
On top of that, like Billy Crystal and Matthew Macfadyen’s performances in their movies, Evans “means it,” as Song said. I believed every single word he said. And that, mixed with the urgency in his voice and vulnerability he was showing, made for a truly romantic moment that I’ll certainly remember forever alongside the epic confessions of love in Pride & Prejudice and When Harry Met Sally.
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