‘Materialists’ Ending Explained: Who Does Lucy Choose?

Relationships are extra complicated in a Materialists world.

The new romantic dramedy starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal is the sophomore effort from Celine Song, the writer-director of Past Lives, 2023’s tender and emotional Oscar-nominated hit.

While Past Lives was more about longing, Materialists is focused on love, and the pursuit of it. Materialists tells the story of Lucy (Johnson), a high-end matchmaker in New York City. She finds herself in the middle of a love triangle when she starts dating dreamy financier Harry (Pascal), at the same time her ex-boyfriend, John (Evans), a struggling actor and part-time cater waiter, walks back into her life.

Harry is rich, charming and has a gorgeous Tribeca apartment. He is perfect on paper, “a unicorn” as Lucy calls him — but is he right for her? The two quickly embark on a passionate romance, but Lucy also feels her heart being pulled back in the direction of John.

Since Lucy has a difficult decision to make, whom does she ultimately choose, Harry or John? Get ready to jam out to Japanese Breakfast and find out what happens at the end of Materialists.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Materialists!

How does Materialists end?

After breaking up with Harry because she realizes they aren’t in love with each other, Lucy and John take a trip upstate, where they end up crashing a wedding with the help of the catering company John works for.

They experience a romantic evening at the idyllic countryside wedding, but their tryst is cut short when Lucy receives a panicked call from her client, Sophie (Zoë Winters).

Earlier in the movie, it was revealed that Sophie had been sexually assaulted by Mark, a man Lucy had set her up on a date with. Now Mark had shown up outside Sophie’s apartment, and not knowing anyone else in the city, she called Lucy for help.

Lucy and John quickly return to New York and arrive at Sophie’s apartment. Mark has left, so Lucy stays to help a rattled Sophie file a restraining order.

The matchmaker tells John he can go, but before he leaves, he asks her if she wants to get back together, and she says yes.

In addition to a rekindled relationship, Lucy is also offered a new job, leading the New York office of Adore, her matchmaking company. Before she hangs up the phone, Lucy admits to her boss that she was actually just about to quit, but also promises to consider the new offer.

Who does Lucy choose?

At the end of Materialists, Lucy chooses to be with John.

The closing minutes of Materialists shows Lucy and John meeting up in Central Park. As the two sit on a bench, John makes a ring out of a flower, and proposes to Lucy, asking her, “How would you like to make a very bad financial decision?”

The moment calls back to the very first scene of the movie which shows a neanderthal couple engaging in the same ritual of proposal with a simple, beautiful daisy ring.

The movie concludes with Lucy and John going to City Hall to obtain their marriage license.

What has writer-director Celine Song said about the ending?

During an interview with IndieWire, Song recognized the statistic that half of marriages end in divorce — and she gives Lucy and John the same chances.

“If you ask me what’s going to happen to Lucy and John, it’s 50-50. Unless either of them reaches a different tier in their class,” she explained. “If Lucy takes the promotion, or John catches a slightly bigger break — their chances of staying together would drop further.”

Song continued, “Maybe a miracle will still happen, where they are so moved by their love, and so in love, that they’re going to be able to move through it, which is the other 50 percent of those marriages that survive.”

Is there a post-credit scene at the end of Materialists?

There is no post-credit scene at the end of Materialists, but there is an easter egg worth staying for.

At the end of the film, Lucy and John go to the Office of the City Clerk at City Hall to obtain their marriage license. The credits roll as the camera stays on the bustling room filled with various couples doing the same, including one surprising pair: the cave people from the first scene!

At the end of the credits, the neanderthal couple reappear among the crowd of people getting married. Even though they are prehistoric, they appear in present-day Manhattan to make their marriage official.

The cave people idea was something Song “always planned” while she was making the movie, as she explained to SlashFilm.

“I want to talk about how there’s a record of stone tools passing hand to hand, moving from a place to another area, but what we don’t know is what passed between people,” she explained, referring to the flower ring that both the cave people and Lucy and John cement their relationship with.

The filmmaker added how for her, “it’s always about the gap between what is material and tangible, and what is spiritual, immaterial, and the thing that is completely ephemeral, like that [flower] ring.”