Quickie Review : DON 'T LOOK UP

I can't say that I am a big fan of Adam McKay's films in general. There's something that doesn't quite reach to me somehow. A certain broadness, that usually doesn't deter me, but in his case, doesn't quite reach me. Even his Oscar-nominated THE BIG SHORT failed to keep me interested. But I recognize his talent, and it's ultimately a case of « It's not you ; it's me. » 

 

 But such wasn't the case after seeing his latest opus ; the star studded satire DON'T LOOK UP, which posits that the world's reaction to impending doom would be marred by wilful ignorance, pride and greed. Something that would have felt far-fetched 5 years ago, is now feeling like a documentary.

 

 Of course, I'm exaggerating. Slightly. DON'T LOOK UP, even if it starts very earnestly with the discovery of a comet by student astronomer Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence), and the quick realization by Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) that the comet is in a direct collision course with Earth, a scene that would have been quite at home in every Roland Emmerich's disaster extravaganzas, is far from being a documentary. It actually shows its colours by following this tense scene with one of Jack Handey's Deep Thoughts :  

 

“I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather, not screaming in terror like his passengers.”

 

  A joke that sets the tone for the biting satire that ensues, and pushes forward the wilful ignorance I was mentioning earlier. As our two astronomers try frantically to warn the government (A vapid president played with perfection by Meryl Streep) and the media, mainly represented by a morning show hosted by equally vapid personalities (played by Cate Blanchett and Tyler Perry). Instead of concern, they meet obsession with poll numbers, the need to keep the news « light » and the unending cult of personality and social media hits. While it may not seem very subtle as a satire, any observer of recent history would have to agree that we do not live in a world burdened with subtlety.

Meryl Streep as the very Trumpian President of the United States, prompting her followers to "Don't Look Up""

 

And while the obvious inspiration for the film is the ongoing Climate Crisis that is still astoundingly debated despite an overbearing burden of proof, the equally astonishing denial of the current COVID pandemic can also be represented by the film's acerbic allegory. Right down to the reduction of a scientist to his inherent sexiness (Leonardo standing in here for Dr. Fauci, who was last year nominated for « Sexiest Man Alive »), which is probably one of the most useless status the media invented for the celebrity-starved public, and mocking others in a succession of mean-spirited memes (Jennifer Lawrence, who sees her character's impassioned live outburst ridiculed online ad nauseam). 

 

And I would feel bad not mentioning some of the other MVP of this incisive spoof, namely the glorious Mark Rylance as a Silicon Valley giant whose wealth weighs heavily in political decisions, despite his obvious eccentricity, and the smarmy Jonah Hill as the President's son, and member of her cabinet, who makes a perfect ersatz Don Junior, who will even make a prayer for « Material and dope stuff. »

Mark Rylance as the pseudo Elon Musk and powerful Silicon Valley magnate Peter Isherwell.

 

 

While not every joke lands, the timeliness of the film couldn't be better, and contrary to some other reviewers who consider that making light of the subject may sabotage the message, I think it's more potent than those disaster films (That I enjoy, by the way) that turns global tragedy into spectacles, or a grim, realistic drama that would fail to gain an audience. 

 

 Like the court jesters of old, McKay laughs at our faults and holds back at us a mirror that barely distorts our reality. Combining skilfully mockery with some powerfully emotional moments, DON'T LOOK UP is a sadly hilarious portrait of the broken down world we live in.