Materialists ending explained: Why Lucy chooses John over Harry

The ending of Materialists (2025) answers the central question at the heart of the story: does Lucy choose the comfort and luxury offered by Harry, or the familiar, imperfect love she once shared with John?

In the final act, Lucy ends her relationship with Harry and reunites with John. She does not choose wealth, security, or social perfection. Instead, she chooses emotional connection. Lucy’s journey throughout the film brings her to this conclusion: love, no matter how uncertain or financially risky, is more meaningful to her than any carefully structured or materially perfect relationship.

The final scenes reinforce that idea. Lucy says no to a life where relationships are curated like resumes. She says yes to love that feels real, even if it comes with flaws. And although her choice is simple, it carries deep meaning. The film ends not with a fairytale but with a quiet commitment to something more human: truth, vulnerability, and imperfect partnership.

Let’s break down the ending in full.

Lucy’s evolution from a matchmaker to a romantic realist

Lucy works at Adore Matchmaking, a New York City service that arranges high-end matches. Her job involves pairing people based on appearance, background, career, and wealth. Materialists begins with Lucy believing that successful relationships are built on such “assets.” This mindset shapes how she views romance—practical first, emotional second.

When Lucy starts dating Harry Castillo, a rich and charming finance professional, it appears that she’s found the ideal match. He fits everything her system rewards: good looks, income, manners, ambition. But as the story continues, it becomes clear that something is missing. That “something” becomes central to the film’s conclusion.

Expand Tweet

Parallel to this, Lucy also reconnects with her ex, John. He’s a struggling actor. He has no savings. He rides a bike and lives in a small apartment. But their emotional bond is strong. Despite their past breakup (due to financial strain), the love between them remains.

The moment everything changes

One major turning point occurs during Lucy’s trip with Harry to Iceland. Before the trip, Lucy learns that Harry underwent leg-lengthening surgery. He didn’t tell her. She is surprised—but more importantly, she realizes she isn’t surprised. She feels indifferent.

During a quiet moment in their hotel room, she gently tells Harry the truth: she doesn’t love him. She never did. Her lack of reaction to his secret and her emotional detachment overall signal to her that their relationship is not built on real intimacy. It may have seemed perfect, but it wasn’t true.

Harry is visibly upset, but he understands. He shares his own insecurities, including his fears of never being truly loved for who he is. They part ways on honest terms.

This breakup is the emotional center of the film’s ending. Lucy chooses not to continue a relationship that looks right but feels wrong.

The role of Sofia’s subplot in Materialists

A secondary storyline in Materialists involves Sofia, one of Lucy’s matchmaking clients. Sofia is set up with a seemingly great match but experiences a traumatic situation on a date. This causes Lucy to question the safety and depth of her own matchmaking process.

This subplot influences Lucy’s thinking. She realizes that compatibility on paper does not always translate to emotional safety or lasting happiness. It helps her step away from her career-driven ideas about love and reconsider what truly matters.

Expand Tweet

Sofia's storyline doesn’t directly affect Lucy’s final decision, but it shapes the emotional and moral environment around it. It acts as a reflection, showing Lucy what happens when love is treated like a contract instead of a connection.

The final decision: John’s proposal

After leaving Harry, Lucy meets John at a park. The moment is quiet and casual. John has brought food from a halal cart, and they sit on the grass. He picks a flower, ties it into a makeshift ring, and jokingly proposes with the line, “How’d ya like to make a very poor financial decision?”

This moment mirrors the film’s opening, which shows two prehistoric people getting “married” in a symbolic ceremony. The scene connects ancient, instinctive love with modern, structured relationships. By referencing that imagery in the ending, the film suggests that love has always been about emotion and trust, not material gain.

Lucy doesn’t say “yes” immediately in words. But her smile and her presence signal agreement. She has made her choice.

What happens to Harry?

Harry doesn’t disappear after the breakup. Materialists includes a short scene suggesting he is dating someone new—a woman from the art world. This hints at growth. He may still be looking for real love, but he’s no longer trying to be someone else to find it.

The ending of Materialists does not present Harry as a villain or a victim. Instead, it gives him space to recover and move forward. It’s a quiet conclusion to his story, but it feels complete.

The caveman frame: Love as a human constant

One of the film’s recurring visuals involves ancient humans engaging in a wedding-like ceremony. These scenes appear at the beginning and end of the film.

They are symbolic. They remind the viewer that relationships existed long before dating apps, careers, or income brackets. In those early scenes, love is simple, instinctive, and based on emotional bonds, not social rules.

Expand Tweet

By showing those images again at the end, Materialists draws a contrast. Lucy is stepping away from a world that treats love like a resume. She is going back to something older, simpler, and more real.

Final scenes: No fairytale, just a beginning

The last few minutes of Materialists are subtle. Lucy and John sit on the grass, talk, and laugh. There’s no wedding, no dramatic declaration, no music swelling to signal a grand conclusion.

Instead, the film ends with the idea of a new beginning. Lucy is no longer driven by perfection. She is embracing uncertainty, but this time with someone she loves.

The camera holds on them, still in the park, surrounded by everyday life. It’s not a fantasy. It’s real.

What does the ending of Materialists mean?

The ending of Materialists shows Lucy choosing emotional truth over social status. She walks away from a perfect-on-paper relationship and returns to a love that never left her heart.

Her decision is shaped by personal experience, a critical event in her professional life, and a growing understanding that love cannot be measured by wealth or appearance.

Harry is given a respectful exit. Sofia begins her own path to recovery. And Lucy—once a believer in matchmaking formulas—now trusts her feelings instead.

The final message is clear: love is not a transaction. It is a choice, often risky, sometimes difficult, but always personal. The ending of Materialists doesn't promise perfection. It offers something more honest: the hope that being real with ourselves and with each other is the best place to start.