DON’T LOOK UP REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Although his films are divisive, in the last twenty years, Adam McKay has become one of the most successful filmmakers working today. To some, he’s best known for making comedies with Will Ferrell in the leading role such as Anchorman and its sequel. Recently, however, McKay has become better known for his Oscar nominated films, The Big Short and Vice. Despite this success, McKay’s films are divisive. There are those who find his works to be entertaining, however, others aren’t as impressed. I belong in the former category and it’s because of this and the star studded cast why I was so excited for McKay’s latest film, Don’t Look Up.

Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence), an astronomy grad student, and her professor Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) make an astounding discovery of a comet orbiting within the solar system. The problem: it's on a direct collision course with Earth. The other problem? No one really seems to care. Turns out warning mankind about a planet-killer the size of Mount Everest is an inconvenient fact to navigate. With the help of Dr. Oglethorpe (Rob Morgan), Kate and Randall embark on a media tour that takes them from the office of an indifferent President Orlean (Meryl Streep) and her sycophantic son and Chief of Staff, Jason (Jonah Hill), to the airwaves of The Daily Rip, an upbeat morning show hosted by Brie (Cate Blanchett) and Jack (Tyler Perry). With only six months until the comet makes impact, managing the 24-hour news cycle and gaining the attention of the social media obsessed public before it's too late proves shockingly comical -- what will it take to get the world to just look up?

Although I enjoyed Don’t Look Up, I can understand why it has received a mixed response following its recent release in select cinemas. There are those who found it to be funny with McKay’s script exploring a more realistic response to an apocalyptic event. Others thought that the film aimed too high for its scattershot barbs to consistently land. Although I can understand that not everyone will like Don’t Look Up and fail to understand the hype surrounding it, I belong in the former category. A lot of disaster films, including 2012, are serious but have a happy ending. However, what’s most interesting about Don’t Look Up is that, for most of its 138 runtime, it’s a tongue in cheek comedy that focuses on two scientists, Kate and Randall, who struggle to convince everyone that the world is ending. Kate and Randall first meet the President of the United States, Janie Orlean, however, she doesn’t take them seriously and tells them to “sit tight and assess”.The disappointing response from the President leads to Kate and Randall trying to warn the population by appearing on a daytime chat show presented by bright and optimistic hosts, Brie and Jack. Despite Kate and Randall’s warning, Brie and Jack’s try to make light of the situation with the latter hoping that comet will hit his ex-girlfriend’s house. Although this scene is funny, it’s also a little sad as this is probably how most people will respond to a serious warning. 

Those hoping that Don’t Look Up will be similar to his Oscar winning film, The Big Short, and find success at next year’s Academy Awards, may be disappointed because the tone is more like Anchorman as they’re both original comedies written and directed by McKay. While the humour doesn’t always work, Don’t Look Up is rarely boring as it’s filled with memorable characters with the talented ensemble cast delivering amusing performances. After taking a break from acting, Lawrence makes a welcome return as the feisty Kate. Out of the entire cast, she delivers the most serious performance as Kate becomes increasingly annoyed by the laidback response to her and Randall’s warning that a comet is threatening to destroy Earth. Alongside Lawrence, DiCaprio delivers one of his most comical performances as Randall who frequently has mental breakdowns but soon accepts that the world is going to end despite his and Kate’s attempt to try and stop the comet. As the President, Streep is clearly imitating Donald Trump with her portrayal. Because she’s known for her dramatic and Oscar winning performances, it was interesting to see Streep take on a more comical role. As her son and chief in staff, Jason, Jonah Hill is also amusing.
 Like Streep, Blanchett is given an opportunity to deliver a more comedic performance and she succeeds with her portrayal of Brie who develops a crush on Randall. Pop star Ariana Grande is perfectly cast as pop star, Riley Bina, who releases a song, Just Look Up, that supports Kate and Randall’s campaign. Although its Oscar potential may seem uncertain, due to the mixed critical response, if Don’t Look Up could possibly be nominated for anything, my guess would be Best Original Song for Just Look Up.

With Don’t Look Up, writer/director Adam McKay has created a witty comedy that explores how people would really react to the end of the world and is worth watching just for the amusing performances by its impressive ensemble cast.

7/10