Liar Liar, Pants on Fire: 2025 Movie Trailer Deceit

Joaquin Phoenix, left, and Pedro Pascal in the movie “Eddington.” (PC: A24/TNS)

Did you go see “Materialists” this summer for a fun love triangle between Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans, but see a mediocre drama movie instead? Same!

Did you go see “Eddington” for a political race with some intense action, but end up watching a bloody, conspiracy theory riddled two and a half hour mess? Yeah, same here.

How about going to see “Honey Don’t!” for a warm, retro lesbian crime-solving drama, but instead you saw a movie that had no real plot? Yep, me too. I think we just became best friends.

What did these three movies have in common? Their trailers presented very different movies from what viewers actually saw.

This created online discourse that the films themselves did not deserve. Think pieces swamped TikTok, Substack, and Twitter for weeks after their respective release dates. All highly anticipated films, from A24 and Focus Features, though none got higher than a 3.4/5 rating by fans on Letterboxd.

Is this a result of misleading trailers, drawing viewers into movies that don’t actually exist? I believe it is, and let me show you why.

First: “Materialists”. Marketed as a romantic comedy with a love triangle between Lucy Mason (Dakota Johnson), Harry Castillo (Pedro Pascal), and John Pitts (Chris Evans), the movie follows Lucy Mason, a professional matchmaker in New York City.

She meets a “unicorn,” Harry Castillo–a wealthy, tall, and handsome man. In comes John Pitts with Chris Evans’ terminal Captain America face, Mason’s ex-boyfriend who works in catering and is a struggling actor in the big city. Mason seemingly must choose between the two men, eager to settle down with her life partner.

Despite the lighthearted feel of the trailer, the movie feels more like a drama, with romance and no comedy. “Materialists” uncharacteristically brought in a subplot of sexual assault and stalking with one of Mason’s clients, differing heavily from the lighthearted energy that was advertised.

Next: “Eddington.” Marketed as a modern western starring Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal, the movie centers around a mayoral race taking place in Eddington, N.M.

At the height of health uncertainty and safety in May 2020, Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix), the sheriff, and Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal), the current mayor, butt heads in regards to their opinions on COVID-19 and mask mandates. What starts as a virus debate quickly devolves into a gory, murder-filled third act.

The movie provides commentary on American politics and culture, something I feel it’s not the time for yet. The US and the world have not progressed enough since 2020.

The violence of this movie was over-the-top, creating an excruciatingly long third act. What was marketed as a mayoral race between Garica and Cross quickly becomes a violent exaggeration of the political divide between the Left and Right, conspiracy theories, and COVID-19.

Dakota Johnson in the movie “Materialists.” (PC: Atsushi Nishijima/A24/TNS)

Finally: “Honey, Don’t!” Marketed as a modern noir crime drama starring Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, and Chris Evans.

The movie follows Honey O’Donahue (Margaret Qualley), a private investigator, as she looks into the death of a teenage girl. Honey quickly becomes romantic with Margaret Qualley (Aubrey Plaza), while the viewers see Reverend Drew Devlin (Chris Evans) get up to raunchy, inappropriate acts for a leader of the church.

There is sex, murder, and more retro technology than people in 2025 have, but not a strong plot, other than examining the sexuality of the characters. O’Donahue looks like an adequate private investigator, but she seriously struggles to do her job… investigate a crime.

With darker storylines than expected, thanks, A24, and storylines that completely lacked depth (“Honey, Don’t!” see this movie), the trailers for these movies were quite deceiving.

If entertainment companies are willing to do anything to get people in a seat to view their films, don’t be surprised the next time you’re seated for a new release, but make sure you wait until the credits roll to write your scathing Letterboxd review.