McKay is certainly not subtle with what he’s trying to do with this film, yet I don’t think that stops Don’t Look Up from being a fantastic, timely examination on the media, the value of science vs money and how fame affects a person and the public’s perception of them. What’s so skilful though is that he manages to pack all these heavy themes in a fun, fast-paced comedy that’ll have you laughing in the moment and then contemplating the state of the world long after the movie ends.
There’s an absolutely stacked cast in the film and not one of them phones it in. The film is helmed by two incredible lead performances of Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence who are both fantastic in their own ways. DiCaprio’s anxiety ridden character really shines in the film, with him getting a clear Oscar baity “white man shouting” scene that really works as the build-up for the anger the audience has been feeling up until this point.
Lawrence’s character is far more subdued and subtle, perfectly highlighting the sexism that’s rampant through our society, often being the secondary focus of scenes yet through her acting it’s always clear what going on with her character. Initially I wanted more from her character, for her to really burst out and get frustrated and all the things happening to her, but I think it’s actually more powerful to show how the world beat her down so much that just couldn’t do it anymore. DiCaprio also goes on this journey, but it just takes longer for him to realise, as the fame and attention clouded his vision.
There’s a whole heap of standout side characters: Mark Rylance as a weird, uncanny valley version of Jeff Bezos, Cate Banchett is an absolute treat as this vacant, dead-eyed reporter, Meryl Streep as the incompetent President is something I didn’t know I needed and Jonah Hill as her annoying son was a fantastic dynamic. The musical number and storyline with Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi was so stupidly amusing, the lyrics of the original song are so ridiculous but fits perfectly into this world McKay has created.
I find it fascinating that this film was written prior to Covid considering how on-the-nose it was with so many situations we’ve all faced in the last two years. Some will argue that this film is just too obvious and unnecessary considering we’ve all just lived through incompetent governments and corrupt media outlets dominating our lives. However, this film is able to package that message so succinctly and lay it all out at once that it just highlights the absurdity of the world we find ourselves living in. What’s more impressive is that it never seems to take a political side, it simply just points out the stupidity of the situation as a whole.
Yes, it isn’t perfect, not all the jokes land, there’s some elements that are way too explicit, but this film so perfectly balances the line between entertainment and thought provoking cinema that it should make for an enjoyable viewing experience for anyone whether you want a fun comedy or an introspective view on the current state of the world. Do be warned though this film will make you actively angry at the world. It being an Adam McKay film of course the editing is some of the most creative and fun in any film of the last few years, with fun and thoughtful uses of stock footage that are weirdly fantastic yet paired with this is also some truly weird editing choices that don’t work. Also, one of the weirdest post-credit scenes I’ve seen in a film.
★★★★
