'Don't Look Up' Is Darkly Hilarious But Hardly Subtle
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Timothée Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande
Rated R
Comedy, drama, sci-fi
Run time: 2 hrs, 18 min
Written and directed by Adam McKay
On Netflix December 26, 2021
Before I knew anything really about this movie, I was on board, solely based on the fact that it was Jennifer Lawrence’s first movie in quite some time. Then I saw it. The wig. The truly terrible wig. I grimaced, looked at the rest of the cast and figured I’d give it a go either way. Once I found out it was going to be on Netflix, giving it the ol’ college try seemed even easier. The trailer gives you the exact vibe the whole flick seems to be going for: a not-so-subtle commentary on the political climate and some of the views on issues such as climate change or - unintentional at the time of production - COVID. This isn’t the exact same kind of explanatory film like McKay’s The Big Short, but the tone where you simultaneously snort-laugh and wince is all there, and there are somehow even higher stakes than just, you know, the whole economy going to shit.
The premise is exactly what you see in the preview. There’s a huge meteor coming towards earth and two astronomers, a professor named Dr. Mindy (DiCaprio) and Kate Dibiasky (Lawerence), try to bring it to the attention of the powers that be, including the president (Streep - and Jonah Hill as her son/chief of staff) via meetings and appearing on talk shows with glib morning show hosts (Blanchett and Hill). Naturally, people ignore them. Or they don’t but then they do. Or maybe they do? Basically, there’s a lot of insanity going around and no one can agree on what any of this means or what should be done. Somehow, there isn’t even an agreement about whether or not they should stop the meteor from hitting the earth. Needless to say,
As I said before, this movie is about as subtle as a sledgehammer. The good news is, it doesn’t have to be more than it is. My main draw to this was centered around one thing: Jennifer Lawrence. I think she’s one of the best actors of my generation and getting to see her on my screen in any way is enough to make me tune in. Then you look at the rest of the cast, a sea of Oscar winners and nominees, you throw in a solid script and it’s almost (but not entirely) impossible to make a full flop. Thankfully, the plot was cohesive enough to make it even better than just okay. It may hit a bit too close to home, especially in the COVID world we are in now, but it’s nice to laugh at it rather than cry. There’s just enough absurdity to keep it entertaining but enough reality to make it way too believable, especially in the respect of how Lawrence’s character reacts to how people respond to the news of the meteor. It’s a perfect mix of utter befuddlement and cynicism that sums up the world we’re currently in.
It’s impossible to overlook how relevant this movie came to be, which is not what I anticipated in an intergalactic disaster movie, but somehow, it became even more fitting since its filming as COVID gained more and more steam. For some, it could be almost too realistic, especially if they align themselves more with Lawrence’s character more than anyone else. On the other hand, it adds a bit of camaraderie, knowing you aren’t screaming into the void alone. If you’re using media as an escapism method, shockingly, this may not do what you require, but it’s a relatively cheap and entertaining way to spend 2.5 hours or so. There are so many pros to this movie that even when I think it could have been better, its “worst” is still higher than okay. Once you get past Jennifer Lawrence’s wig, of course.