7 love triangle movies to watch after ‘Materialists’

A still of "Materialists" showing Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal sitting in a booth and passing a cocktail glass to each other. — Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal play lovers in “Materialists.”

Atsushi Nishijima

“Materialists” could become a classic love triangle movie after it was a hit with critics.

The film stars, which came out Friday, stars Dakota Johnson as a matchmaker torn between her romance with a rich financier, Harry (Pedro Pascal), and her broke ex, John (Chris Evans).

It’s directed by Celine Song, whose directorial debut, “Past Lives,” was also about a love triangle and was nominated for two Oscars.

The success of that past film, the recognizable stars, and the popularity of the love triangle trope have created a buzz around “Materialists,” which could make it a commercial success.

If you want more love triangle drama after “Materialists,” here’s what to watch next.

“Challengers”

Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor in — Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor in “Challengers.”

Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures

Song’s husband, Justin Kuritzkes, wrote 2024’s “Challengers,” one of the year’s most talked about movies.

The film, directed by Luca Guadagnino, stars Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor as two tennis players who go from friends to rivals as they compete for victory and the love of a woman (Zendaya).

Though the film was not a major box office hit, it reignited the discourse around love triangle movies and horniness in art.

“Challengers” is available to stream on Prime Video.

“Past Lives”

Song’s 2023 film “Past Lives” follows two friends from South Korea, Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), over 20 years after Nora’s family emigrates to Canada.

While the pair has a deep connection, the timing is never right and Nora gets into a relationship with another man.

“Past Lives” isn’t a traditional love triangle movie because the rivalry doesn’t start until halfway in the movie, but is just as emotional.

“Past Lives” is available to stream on Netflix.

“The Twilight Saga”

Taylor Lautner as Jacob, Kristen Stewart as Bella, and Robert Pattinson as Edward in "Twilight." — Taylor Lautner as Jacob, Kristen Stewart as Bella, and Robert Pattinson as Edward in “Twilight.”

Summit Entertainment

“Twilight” is one of the most iconic movie franchises of the the early 2010s — and it centers on a love triangle.

The series’ main plot follows Bella (Kristen Stewart), a teenage girl who gets caught in a love triangle between her classmate (Robert Pattinson), a vampire, and her childhood friend (Taylor Lautner), who is secretly a werewolf.

If you’re looking for films about messy romance, all five “Twilight” movies are available on Netflix.

“Bridget Jones’s Diary”

Hugh Grant, Renée Zellweger, and Colin Firth starred in the — Hugh Grant, Renée Zellweger, and Colin Firth in the “Bridget Jones’s Diary.”

StudioCanal

Before “Twilight,” the buzzy love triangle movie of the 2000s was “Bridget Jones’s Diary.”

In this rom-com, the heroine, Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger), is on a journey to improve her life and forms connections with two men: Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), a sleazy womanizer, and Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), a judgmental, cold lawyer.

“Bridget Jones’s Diary” is a lot more comedic than “Materialists” but is similarly realistic about the struggles of modern dating.

“Bridget Jones’s Diary” is available to stream on Max.

“The Age of Innocence”

“The Age of Innocence” is an Oscar-winning movie directed by Martin Scorsese and an adaptation of Edith Wharton’s 1920 novel of the same name.

The film, set in the 1870s, follows Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis), a lawyer who is engaged to marry May Welland (Winona Ryder), but instead falls for her scandalous cousin Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer).

It’s essentially “Bridgerton” season two set in the Gilded Age.

Newland is stuck between following his heart, adhering to society’s conventions, and committing to May.

“The Age of Innocence” is available to stream on Netflix.

“Brooklyn”

The love triangle in “Brooklyn” doesn’t just see a woman have to choose between two men, but two countries.

Saoirse Ronan plays Eilis, an Irish immigrant in 1950s New York who falls for an Italian man (Emory Cohen).

But when a tragedy brings her home to Ireland, she forms a relationship with another man (Domhnall Gleeson).

“Brooklyn” was nominated for three Oscars and is rated highly by critics and the audience alike on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Brooklyn” is available to stream on Hulu.

“She’s Gotta Have It”

“She’s Gotta Have It,” directed by Spike Lee, is more of a love square than a love triangle movie.

Nola (Tracy Camilla Johns) is a young woman secretly in a relationship with three men she loves for different reasons. When the men meet and discover they are dating the same woman, Nola is forced to choose between them.

But this film is a cautionary tale rather than a romance.

“She’s Gotta Have It” is available to stream on Netflix.

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