"Don't Look Up" begins by introducing the two low-level astronomers, Dr. Randall Mindy (DiCaprio) and PhD candidate Kate Dibiasky (Lawrence), who discovered a mountain-sized comet, and Dr. Teddy Oglethrope (Rob Morgan), chief of the Planetary Defense Coordination Office from NASA.
They quickly meet with President Janie Orlean (Meryl Streep) and her Chief of Staff Jason Orlean (Jonah Hill) to discuss plans of diverting the comet’s trajectory to avoid total human extinction. They were disappointed, however, when President Orlean received their news with apathy.
Obviously, in a reasonable world, stopping a disaster like this should be at the top of any government’s priority list. However in this reality, the authorities couldn't care less about what astronomers discovered in space. They downplayed their threat, even mocked it. But, like any good politician, President Orlean ended the conversation by telling them what they wanted to hear:
“I’m taking it very seriously. I’m taking it straight to the heart.”
She wasn't.
Politics is the new comedy.
In Adam McKay's "Don't Look Up," politicking reaches new heights of absurdity as it portrays a government that is something more than a vile narcissist, but dangerously incompetent. Which is funny because, in today’s politics, some of McKay's observations are true. Yes, politicians frequently resort to sarcasm and humor to separate themselves from dire situations. They will go to extreme length just to be on top, for fame and money and to run things and boss people around. In an ideal world, the people control the levers of power; but the affluent and the powerful always had the last laugh in this universe.
In any case, "Don't Look Up" is a genuine pre-apocalyptic film. It got that "Armageddon" vibe minus the cheesy lines and soundtrack.
Hank Corwin's editing is worth noting. Corwin flash editing cuts out sentences and scenes midway as though to hasten up the film. Although the quick jump from scene to scene is a little annoying, I think there is a stroke of genius there since it reflects on the frustration, stress and urgency the characters feel from the impending disaster.
McKay's secret weapon is not the editing, but his star-studded casts. With their performances, DiCaprio, Streep, Lawrence, Hill and Morgan are all undoubtedly 11 over 10. It's fascinating how they can all shine in their own ways despite their characters' obvious limitations.
However, despite the constellations of stars in McKay's disposal, they are not all brilliant enough to conceal the film’s flaws.
“Don’t Look Up” simply has too many decorations and distractions to make an impact. The punchline usually comes before the joke and the people in this film feel like they are making bad decisions for the sake of it. A good movie should be a mirror of reality. And at first, it feels like it's reflecting on a reality people oversee. But in the end, it all feels fiction. It's understandable that this film should be absurd and over-the-top, but it becomes too dark, hysterical and nihilistic to be a version of a truth. Can we really take McKay's stance on social class, climate change and government accountability seriously, if he, himself, can't take it sternly? I guess not.
2.5/5
