(SPOT.ph) “Based on real events that haven’t happened yet,” is a statement that kicks off the Don’t Look Up trailer. It’s a great introduction into what director and writer Adam McKay is going for with this film. After picking apart former US Vice President Dick Cheney in Vice and finding the funny in the financial crisis of the 2000s with The Big Short, it’s no surprise that McKay’s next target is the government as well as the ultra-rich. They are incredibly easy targets—in a manner of speaking—in the current climate, but thankfully, McKay finds various interesting ways to attack. McKay’s signature satirical script combined with an all-star cast that includes the likes of Academy Award winners Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, and Meryl Streep, Don’t Look Up is an entertaining film about the ways our leaders and those in power fail us over and over—which makes this black comedy also one of the most depressing films of the year.
Don’t Look Up begins with astronomy student Kate Dibiasky (Lawrence) discovering an unidentified comet. Excitement and celebration turns into panic when Kate’s professor, Dr. Randall Mindy (DiCaprio) discovers that the comet is hurtling towards Earth and will destroy the entire planet upon impact. Randall and Kate bring their findings to an uninterested White House that includes President Janie Orlean (Streep) and her son Jason (Jonah Hill), who happens to be her Chief of Staff. With things looking even bleaker, Kate and Randall turn to TV interviews and social media to try and get the word out, with varying success in getting the world to look up and see this comet coming down. As impact nears, the story only gets wilder as Kate and Randall attempt to save the world.
With a game cast like DiCaprio, Lawrence, Streep, Hill, and so many more, there’s no doubt that there’s fun to be had here. DiCaprio has proven to be a great comedic actor especially in darker-tinged comedy films like The Wolf of Wall Street, and his performance here is no exception. A climate change activist in real life, DiCaprio finds a lot of truth in his character, even if some of the happenings around him get ridiculous. It’s also welcome to see Lawrence back in a more comedic space. Always confident on screen, Lawrence walks a fine line between frustrated and pissed for most of the film. It’s interesting because her character is called out in the film for being too moody and overly emotional, much like how lots of women are portrayed in the media. Lawrence finds the right tone for Kate that shows that yes, she is distraught but is also very rational, and therefore making the point “the media is inherently misogynistic” even stronger.
Streep is clearly having the best time playing a truly terrible President without going too cartoony, and it’s great to see. Hill has less stuff to do, but McKay deploys him at perfect moments to deliver side-splitting quips. During their race to save the world, Kate and Randall run into several colorful characters, including Cate Blanchett and Tyler Perry’s shallow news anchors, Ariana Grande’s diva pop star, Mark Rylance’s socially awkward tech giant, and Timothée Chalamet’s cool and sweet free spirit. If anything, Don’t Look Up is perfectly cast, with each actor, no matter how big or small the role is, encapsulating exactly who they need to be and who they are to the story. Some, like DiCaprio and Chalamet—who surprisingly has some of the film’s most touching moments—find more depth than others, but they all are excellent throughout. If satire isn’t your thing, at least know that this cast is putting their best foot forward to entertain you.
McKay’s signature style such as shaky cameras, crash zooms, and choppy editing are present in Don’t Look Up. His directing style can be a bit messy and distracting, and that’s still true here, but it’s in his writing that he truly shines. Funny, fast-paced, with scenes that will definitely make you go “Yup, I know this feeling,” McKay’s script is brutal and no-nonsense for the most part. True his targets are incredibly easy—as if you’re on the first level of a video game on the easiest mode. Bad government, biased media, ridiculous social media, terrible rich people—none of these topics are that difficult to write jokes about. Where McKay does do well in is finding really fun ways to critique them—and finding the perfect actors to give his words life. Rylance’s Peter Isherwell for example is a clear critique on the Elon Musks and Mark Zuckerbergs of the world, but McKay and Rylance make him so much more interesting and fun than you’d expect.
The downside to stuffing in so many social critiques in one film is that Don’t Look Up sometimes feels so unwieldy and unbalanced. At over two hours, with many twists placed in the story, it sometimes feels like the film is never going to end. It’s doubly frustrating knowing where this film is taking you, it’s just taking the longer, not-so-scenic route to get there. McKay wanted to fire on all these different people, and while the jokes are there, there’s so much going on that it almost loses some of its power. McKay’s films often tend to be a bit messy and scattershot, and Don’t Look Up follows those lines.
It’s a good thing then, that the film does bring some much-needed laughs. In these difficult times, often you just have to find the silliness and laugh at it. Unfortunately, the film is also incredibly depressing, hitting so close to home with its critiques that if you’re not quite in the right headspace, it’s going to be a difficult watch. If you know what you’re getting into, though, it should be a really fun time. We might as well be at the end of the world as we know it, so why not try to find some laughs along the way.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Spots.
Don’t Look Up released on Netflix December 24th. Photos and video credit: Netflix.
this strange new world.