REVIEW: 'Don't Look Up' (2021, Adam McKay)
Adam McKay’s star-studded Don’t Look Up, a doomsday comedy, portrays Trump-era America and a world obsessed with social media.
Featuring Hollywood A-listers and Oscar winners (whose physical features are tweaked), McKay's satire captures human folly via a razor-sharp parody of US politics and culture.
Astronomy student Kate Dibiasky (a punk-looking Jennifer Lawrence) discovers a comet in the solar system. But then she and her anxiety-ridden professor, Dr. Randall Mindy (a brilliant Leonardo Di Caprio), realize that Comet Dibiasky is bound to destroy the Earth in six months.
What follows is a series of frustrating events and dead-ends — from the White House run by the indifferent and Trump-like President Orlean (a delightful Meryl Streep) and her leech of a son and chief of staff (Jonah Hill), to an irritating talk show called the Daily Rip hosted by Jack (Tyler Perry) and Brie (Cate Blanchett).
The two astronomers race against time to warn the public about the impending doom. But they are ignored in the chaos of celebrity news, TV ratings, algorithms, and nutty conspiracies.
American critics generally hate Don’t Look Up as it hits too close to home. But McKay’s witty, neurotic take on today’s dark times is hilarious. The writer-director’s rage is diverted into comedy. It feels like an inspired, cinematic version of a sketch from Saturday Night Live, where he was a head writer in the 1990s.
His camera is oftentimes shaky and docu-like. This gives a humorous sense of urgency and agitation, as well as a more intimate character POV: A super closeup shot of a painting, a leg shaking with nervousness, a base of a trophy. The movie becomes a tactile experience.
McKay’s style also mirrors the short attention span of the present generation. He frequently cuts to the next scene mid-sentence, abruptly shows snippets of outer space and inserts close-up shots of wildlife and human activity that magnifies the creeping apocalypse.
The allegorical Comet Dibiasky — larger than the asteroid that killed dinosaurs — is symbolic of a global catastrophe such as climate change and Covid-19 pandemic. Matters of life and death are taken for granted, either for political gain or to fuel corporate greed.
But McKay does not apply suspense to the coming disaster. He focuses instead on the Xanax-nibbling Dr. Mindy and the constantly shocked Dibiasky as they get swept in the shocking tides of a world suffering from narcissism and mental disorder.
Vivid scenes include Streep’s impression of Trump, a benefit concert with Ariana Grande performing, and a beautiful prayer delivered by an unkempt Timothee Chalamet. But DiCaprio stands out for his potent blend of humor, pathos and fear in Dr. Mindy.
McKay, also known for his 2015 Oscar-nominated film The Big Short, as well as 2004’s Anchorman, does not aim to lecture or terrify the audience. Rather, he just wants us to laugh with him. And he succeeds with a smart, engrossing yearend movie.
4/5 stars
Featuring Hollywood A-listers and Oscar winners (whose physical features are tweaked), McKay's satire captures human folly via a razor-sharp parody of US politics and culture.
Astronomy student Kate Dibiasky (a punk-looking Jennifer Lawrence) discovers a comet in the solar system. But then she and her anxiety-ridden professor, Dr. Randall Mindy (a brilliant Leonardo Di Caprio), realize that Comet Dibiasky is bound to destroy the Earth in six months.
What follows is a series of frustrating events and dead-ends — from the White House run by the indifferent and Trump-like President Orlean (a delightful Meryl Streep) and her leech of a son and chief of staff (Jonah Hill), to an irritating talk show called the Daily Rip hosted by Jack (Tyler Perry) and Brie (Cate Blanchett).
The two astronomers race against time to warn the public about the impending doom. But they are ignored in the chaos of celebrity news, TV ratings, algorithms, and nutty conspiracies.
American critics generally hate Don’t Look Up as it hits too close to home. But McKay’s witty, neurotic take on today’s dark times is hilarious. The writer-director’s rage is diverted into comedy. It feels like an inspired, cinematic version of a sketch from Saturday Night Live, where he was a head writer in the 1990s.
His camera is oftentimes shaky and docu-like. This gives a humorous sense of urgency and agitation, as well as a more intimate character POV: A super closeup shot of a painting, a leg shaking with nervousness, a base of a trophy. The movie becomes a tactile experience.
McKay’s style also mirrors the short attention span of the present generation. He frequently cuts to the next scene mid-sentence, abruptly shows snippets of outer space and inserts close-up shots of wildlife and human activity that magnifies the creeping apocalypse.
The allegorical Comet Dibiasky — larger than the asteroid that killed dinosaurs — is symbolic of a global catastrophe such as climate change and Covid-19 pandemic. Matters of life and death are taken for granted, either for political gain or to fuel corporate greed.
But McKay does not apply suspense to the coming disaster. He focuses instead on the Xanax-nibbling Dr. Mindy and the constantly shocked Dibiasky as they get swept in the shocking tides of a world suffering from narcissism and mental disorder.
Vivid scenes include Streep’s impression of Trump, a benefit concert with Ariana Grande performing, and a beautiful prayer delivered by an unkempt Timothee Chalamet. But DiCaprio stands out for his potent blend of humor, pathos and fear in Dr. Mindy.
McKay, also known for his 2015 Oscar-nominated film The Big Short, as well as 2004’s Anchorman, does not aim to lecture or terrify the audience. Rather, he just wants us to laugh with him. And he succeeds with a smart, engrossing yearend movie.
4/5 stars
Published in the Daily Tribune
Update: Don't Look Up has been nominated in the 2022 Oscars for Best Picture
Update: Don't Look Up has been nominated in the 2022 Oscars for Best Picture
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