Netflix's latest release, "Don't Look Up" sees a cast of A-listers staring down the apocalypse.by Christopher James
Satire is a precise tool, not a blunt object.
Adam McKay has led a polarizing, yet successful career trying to tackle tough topics with a sardonic edge. In The Big Short, he broke apart the 2008 financial crisis with some degree of success through raucous and audacious storytelling techniques. Vice, which received many Oscar nominations, took the “more is more” cinematic devices to dine out on anger towards the right. While I found it smug, it makes sense why some nodded their heads and found some shred of insight in a film confirming their own biases. That begs the question: what do we do with our anger towards people and movements that we believe are leading to the destruction of our world?
Don’t Look Up is a disaster movie that bills itself on being a prescient allegory for our inability to deal with climate control (aka the big comet heading to destroy us). McKay presumes the world, and all of us who inhabit it, are doomed and good riddance because everyone sucks. It’s a nihilistic movie with many ill formed targets...
As we navigate an ongoing pandemic, a polarizing political climate and rampant misinformation, who does this movie serve and what is the point of its comedy? Beneath all the stunt casting, broad characterizations and bloated 148 minute running time, there is a human empathetic core to this flaming comet of a disaster movie. It’s too bad it comes too little too late.
There's five Oscars present in this photo.When PHD candidate Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) discovers a comet, the news is treated with cheers from her classmates and professor, Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio). This excitement is quickly tempered when calculations showing that there is a 99.72% chance that this 5-10km wide comet will make contact with Earth and destroy it. Immediately, they alert President Orlean (Meryl Streep), a “smoking hot,” red-blooded opportunist, who doesn’t share their same level of immediacy. After a long wait, she and her doofus Chief of Staff son (Jonah Hill) hear them out only to disregard their concerns. Scared and dejected, Dr. Mindy, Kate and their ally Dr. Oglethorpe (Rob Morgan) take to the press and media to try and convince the world that the end is coming. If the scientists are playing it straight, then the politicians are played to the absurd. Streep finds some interesting comic shades for her Trump-esque figure, while Hill continues to hit his most grating notes.
Oscar winners and pop stars alike get in on the action as the comet barrels towards Earth. Unfortunately, each of their characters are too broad to be a sharp enough critique. No amount of distractingly zippy editing can make it all come together to form a cohesive or biting enough package. There’s a recurring news show, where cheery anchors Brie Evantree (Cate Blanchett) and Jack Bremmer (Tyler Perry) try and lighten even the darkest of news. It’s unclear if they’re The Today Show, Fox & Friends or the CBS Evening News. Brie, in particular, takes a shine to Dr. Mindy leading to a fun, if meandering subplot. Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi’s fragile music couple sing a comically pop-y ballad that makes the subliminal literal. As if the government wasn’t enough of a big bad, Mark Rylance gives us another broad villain to add to the mix as technocrat Peter Isherwell. There’s still more cast to go, with Timothee Chalamet, Ron Pearlman, Himesh Patel and Michael Chicklis all playing unique types that McKay has issues with. While not every element is great in a vacuum, they all need more time to be fully explored and skewered. Much like the comet, it goes wide but not deep with its targets.
It’s a shame that the haphazard comedy distracts from elements that work well in the movie. Leonardo DiCaprio gives a terrific performance, anchoring the dizzying emotions we all feel through his exasperated Dr. Mindy. There’s an innate quality to him where he can push a dramatic note to the point of absurdity, never afraid to make himself the butt of the joke. That’s why he could bring gravitas to the broader moments of The Wolf of Wall Street and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, though those movies were much surer in their tone and vision. As one of the only constants in a film full of extended bits, he’s the best shepherd for us to go through the frustrating media tour of trying to disseminate information to the public. It all builds to a Network-esque rant that DiCaprio sells, even if McKay's distracting filmmaking almost dares us to not take in the message. Additionally, some of the best moments involve Dr. Mindy’s relationship with his wife June, the always welcome Melanie Lynskey (even if she is relegated to “wife on phone” for too much of the film).
As our other lead, Jennifer Lawrence reminds us how engaging she can be to watch on screen. Even saddled with Scream 3 level bangs and no discernable backstory or character, Lawrence nails both punchlines and emotional beats. The film tries to make a point that Kate can never be the voice broadcasting doom as people may sexistly view her as a shrill, crazy conspiracy theorist. Since the movie is calling out presumed sexist responses towards female experts shouldn't it be working hard in the other direction rather than discarding her and giving her no real character to play?
Art is supposed to provoke a reaction, and Don’t Look Up is no exception. It’s no secret that climate change is a serious issue that grows only more serious and threatening as time moves on and human behavior doesn’t change. It’s hard not to find kinship in the frustration that Dr. Mindy feels throughout the whole movie. In fact, McKay’s mission with the film could be considered noble and timely. While sound and fury can certainly galvanize audiences, if that’s all that’s being served, it’s just hollow. At the end of the day, is the message that we have to stop worrying and love the giant planet killing comet? Comparatively, Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove was a laser targeted and sharply broad satire that led with wit not contempt. I appreciate that the movie inspired anger and frustration, even if it feels all for naught. Dying is easy and comedy is hard. Don’t Look Up simply misses the mark. C
Don't Look Up is currently playing in select theaters. It hits Netflix on December 24th.