Pity poor Dakota Johnson. In Celine Song’s romantic dramedy “Materialists,” she must choose between Pedro Pascal or Chris Evans. What an impossible choice.

Find out what she decides when “Materialists” opens on Friday. We also review a Western that benefits from Samuel L. Jackson’s presence and a delightful free YouTube comedy series that’s a sweet match during Pride Month.

“Materialists” >> In an age where you can toss anything you desire into an online shopping cart, even love can approximate a business transaction. But as Celine Song’s romcom with a difference illustrates, romance keels toward the unruly and can’t really be manufactured or programed to our specific needs. And that’s what makes her sophomore feature one of the most unexpectedly romantic dramedies in some time, a shrewd, relatable story that celebrates the absolute messiness of romance and does so with intelligence and humor.

Dakota Johnson tackles one of her more challenging roles and gets well-cast as icy New York matchmaker Lucy, a mover and shaker in full control of her emotions and someone who applies a clinical eye to her sought-out services. She leaves nothing to fate or chance and the matchmaking she orchestrates invariably leads to forming a mutual contract that looks good both on paper and in photos.

Lucy continues to be on the fast track and is happily single. And then she meets a swoonable guy in the form of sinfully wealthy charmer Harry Castillo (Pedro Pascal, who could sweep almost anyone off their feet). They flirt, look terrific together and study each other at a soiree where Lucy’s struggling actor ex (Chris Evans) is working as a server.

Song intersperses the relationships that ensue for this very attractive trio (played so well by all three principles) with frank, funny interviews with Lucy’s clients, as they divulge what traits they are looking for in that special someone — impossible requirements and foolish demands that are so narrowly focused that they disavow any spontaneity or joy of discovery. They provide perfect accent points to the film’s overall themes.

Song defies expectations with this follow-up to her emotional earthquake of a first feature “Past Lives.” And while “Materialists” isn’t as seamless as her first film, it, too, features a vibrant screenplay. Song’s ambitious film stumbles when she navigates the story into some disturbing territory that, while essential to the film, needed to be more thoroughly explored and not relegated to a subplot.

To Song’s credit, she isn’t afraid of thinking outside of the box when it comes to romantic dramedies, even though it embraces the classic elements of the genre. What makes “Materialists” such a surprise is that even though it’s realistic about the indefinable nature of love it’s never cynical even when it ribs matchmaking services and our finicky desires.

If anything it celebrates abandoning expectations and allowing ourselves to be free spirits in romance. Song gets there by creating a real dilemma for Lucy, a character who is frustrating but relatable. She evaluates where to go with the sure thing, the former thing or to be content with being on her own. In “Materialists,” we never know which path any of the characters will take and that’s what makes it a union of romance and brains, a story where love does triumph over formulas and theorems and calculated algorithms.

Details >> 3 stars out of 4; opens Friday in theaters.

“Unholy Trinity” >> Young whippersnapper Henry Broadway (Brandon Lessard) sets out to avenge his father’s execution by hanging in 19th-century Montana. Trouble is, the sheriff responsible for the miscarriage of justice is gone and his replacement — Gabriel Dove (Pierce Brosnan) — seems like a decent fella who’s trying to keep townsfolk from killing each other. Director Richard Gray’s Western doesn’t do much of anything new with the genre and even dusts off the well-worn buried treasure plot device, but Lee Zachariah’s script gives Brosnan a chance to sit tall in the saddle while allowing Samuel L. Jackson — as the cryptic St. Christopher (religious allusions are lathered on thick here) — to unleash his best overacting so he can punch the film above its weight. Other notable actors from yesteryear — David Arquette and Tim Daly — are in it for just a hot minute while “The New World” actor Q’orianka Kilcher lands an underdeveloped part as a fugitive falsely implicated of murder. It’s hardly perfect, but if you’re looking for an old-fashioned shoot-’em-up, put this one into your rental corral.

Details >> 2½ stars; in theaters Friday.

“What About Me?” >> A funeral service for an actor goes awry, and then viral, after the deceased’s gay twin brother steps up to the podium and spills the familial tea in this six-episode Pride-filled treat, available for free on YouTube. Shot on the most modest of budgets, creator/star Josh Nadler’s breezy series gives us an unhappy but likable dysfunctional family as they grieve and exist in the shadows of their more popular dead relative. The script is sassy and fun and the cast — Nadler, Helene Udy, Sandra Cruze, Ethan Corn, Jessica Kinsella, Ty Chen and Maya Worthy — make for most pleasant company as Josh grapples with grief, lust and the realization that perfection is indeed an illusion. The screenplay is filled with funny lines; my favorite being “I am publicist first, a human second,” expressed by sister Jill (Kinsella, hilarious here) who’s facing her own problems. The final episode provides a perfect opening shot for Season 2. Queer audiences will adore this series that serves notice that Nadler has arrived and should be a star on the rise. Details: 3 stars; available now on YouTube.