As 2021 came to a close, there were a lot of films released in the theaters and on streaming platforms. One that has been getting a lot of attention, including being the most-watched movie in the world, is Netflix’s star-studded satire, Don’t Look Up.
I had it on my watch list but didn’t get to it immediately. I started noticing that many of my friends on social media were posting about it, calling it the best movie of the year. So, on New Year’s Eve, we settled in to give it a watch. Check out my full review below - spoilers ahead, but not too many.
What’s it About?
The premise is one we’ve seen in numerous disaster movies over the years, especially the late 1990s, with the discovery of a comet that is headed directly for earth. We saw versions of this story in movies like Armageddon and Deep Impact, but Don’t Look Up takes a different approach.
Instead of an action/disaster movie, we get a dark comedy and satire. So, many of the same elements are there, but it becomes a bit surreal.
The story follows the two astronomers who discover the comet as they meet with government officials and become involved in the government’s response to the crisis. Even some of the decisions the government makes line up with the other disaster movies. There is a mission to strike the comet with nuclear missiles to divert it from hitting the earth, led by a ‘heroic’ space shuttle pilot.
But, Don’t Look Up brings it a bit of Idiocracy and certainly takes a page from our current political and societal climate. The President and her advisors are far more interested in the optics and political implications of the issue, rather than the fact that the comet is a planet killer that will cause an extinction-level event when it strikes the earth.
The Cast
Netflix has been pulling in some serious casts for its feature films in recent years and Don’t Look Up is no exception. It stars Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio as the scientists from Michigan State who discover the comet, Merryl Streep as the President of the United States, Jonah Hill as her son/chief of staff, Ariana Grande as a pop singer, Cate Blanchett, and Tyler Perry as talk show hosts, along with supporting actors played by Timothee Chalamet and Mark Rylance, among others.
The cast is excellent, as you might expect with so many academy award winners and other talented actors. Each really jumps into their role with abandon. Lawrence and DiCaprio are really the main characters as we watch their reactions to how both politicians and then the world reacts to the news of the impending disaster. Streep is excellent as always, in the role of a President far more focused on her own agenda than saving the world.
So, is it a Comedy?
It’s a very black comedy and really more of a satire than anything else. There are a number of funny moments, but it is mostly gallows humor as we watch how the world deals with the impending disaster. You definitely see various stages of grief, particularly denial and anger.
But, it’s definitely not a ‘feel good’ laugh-out-loud type of comedy. Many viewers have noted that while it may be satire, it isn’t that far away from how we might react to such a disaster. Minus some of the obviously ridiculous aspects of certain characters.
Watch it or Not?
So far on Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 77% audience approval rating, but only a 55% critical rating. It sits in one of those areas where love for the movie is far from unanimous.
That said, I really liked it. I did laugh out loud a few times, but as often as not, I was shaking my head and thinking that some of it is too close to reality to be comfortable. It’s well-acted and belongs on your watch list, in my opinion.
