Entertainment

Dakota Johnson must choose between Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans in the upcoming romantic comedy “Materialists,” which hits theaters June 13.

Is Chris Evans back to making good movies?

Based on the first trailer for his upcoming film “Materialists,” a romantic comedy from A24 co-starring Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal, the jury is still out.

Directed by Celine Song (“Past Lives”), “Materialists” follows a New York City matchmaker (Johnson) who hasn’t found “the one” for herself. Right when it seems like she has found the perfect match (Pascal), she is pulled in another direction by her imperfect ex (Evans).

It’s a pretty paint-by-numbers plot, and the trailer doesn’t really deviate from romcom conventions. But there aren’t too many big-screen romantic comedies these days, and Song — whose directorial debut “Past Lives” was one of the best movies of 2023 — deserves some benefit of the doubt.

“Materialists,” which hits theaters June 13, will be Evans’ first movie since 2024’s abysmal Christmas movie “Red One.”

As noted in a recent edition of our streaming newsletter The Queue, Evans hasn’t made many (if any) good movies since hanging up Captain America’s shield.

Whether it’s for Netflix (“The Gray Man”), Apple (“Ghosted”), or Amazon (“Red One”), Evans has starred in big-budget action movies that range from forgettable to awful. Every one of those movies had a reported budget north of $200 million, which at least means the Sudbury native likely pocketed eight-figure salaries for each.

While “Materialists” may seem like a career pivot, Evans has shown a proclivity for on-screen romance throughout his career when he wasn’t busy saving the planet as superhero Steve Rogers.

He played a romantic lead in his very first movie role, 2000’s “The Newcomers,” opposite Kate Bosworth. And for his first (and only) directorial effort, he cast himself opposite Alice Eve in the 2014 romantic drama “Before We Go.”

For Evans’ sake, hopefully there’s more to “Materialists” than meets the eye.

Watch the first trailer for “Materialists”:

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