Don’t Look Up is a 2021 American satirical political sci-fi satire film about two astronomers warning that a comet may destroy the Earth.
Written, produced and directed by Adam McKay (Vice; The Big Short; Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and its sequel) from a story co-written with David Sirota.
Plot:
The Hyperobject Industries-Bluegrass Films co-production stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Ron Perlman, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Scott Mescudi, Cate Blanchett, and Meryl Streep.
Reviews:
“Director Adam McKay wants to be the great satirist of his age—except his films aren’t quite funny or insightful. Still, he has something to say, which is perhaps better than nothing. It’s this strange feeling that accompanies his latest film, Don’t Look Up, as it addresses the climate crisis by way of an extinction-level comet strike. Again, not funny or even novel, but at least McKay manages to send most of his punches in the right direction.” Brief Take
” …an excuse for smug, self-righteous liberals to bask in how smart they are while everyone else is a dunce. This isn’t a movie with a message; it’s an excuse to point and laugh at the oblivious. I consider myself a liberal person, and I could hardly stomach the weak, unsubtle crap Don’t Look Up is peddling. This isn’t just a disaster movie. It’s also a disaster […] This is a hollow waste of time and talent; a comedy whose idea of humor is simply pointing a finger at something and chuckling obnoxiously.” /Film
“Don’t Look Up is a depressing depiction of human nature, with horrible characters and absolutely zero sense of humour. But its worst crime is the fact that it seems to absolutely despise people. When they’re the audience for the film, honestly, what kind of message is that?” Flickering Myth
” …despite the depressing yet levelheaded viewpoint on the current sociopolitical climate, there are moments of humor that work […] But these funny bits don’t lend to a funny whole, considering the screenplay oftentimes feels like a series of The Onion articles stitched together, while the plot shifts from the verge of actuality to Zoolander levels of unsubtle mockery to a sci-fi finale.” Gone with the Twins
” …Don’t Look Up is one of the aptest movies for the times we are living in. Adam McKay manages to generate a certain kind of fear through this fictional scenario (that can become true at any moment because that’s how fragile Earth is) that’ll hopefully ignite self-respect among people. They’ll learn to value their lives and hold those people accountable who are telling them to do the exact opposite.” High on Films
“Don’t Look Up is a hilarious fictional film with dramatically non-fictional inspiration. It will have people crying from laughter and then crying from existential realizations. Incredible story, stellar performances, masterclass comedy, it packages existential dread in a thoroughly entertaining and, likely, Academy Award-worthy film.” The Illumenerdi
” …it has enough chuckle-worthy humor. Its 145-minute runtime moves quickly as Don’t Look Up doesn’t stop to take a breath. The climate crisis is a very tricky subject to capture in a focused narrative. McKay’s comedic notes are a bit too predictable and his drama doesn’t always stick its landing, but it’s immensely entertaining nonetheless.” Showbiz Cheat Sheet
“When Don’t Look Up views its targets of scorn from a macro perspective, though, it plays more often like an extended, mediocre cold open to Saturday Night Live. Like that show, McKay’s film is inspired in stretches, but it’s by and large bland, unnecessarily bloated, and incredibly self-satisfied. And like Vice before it, it too often uses satire as a tool of castigation rather than as a means of truly taking on the status quo.” Slant
“There’s something here that McKay is trying to say about television, social media obsessions, the 24-hour news cycle, and more. How far do scientists have to go in warning humanity? […] Don’t Look Up is one of the best pictures this year. There are not many filmmakers who could come up with a comedy that responds to living during the Trump years but Adam McKay is one of them. The man is a fricking genius when it comes to satire.” Solzy at the Movies
“From TV newsrooms to the Oval Office to space shuttles to suburban liquor stores, Sandgren’s work never winks but instead provides the appropriate backdrop for the comedy that the rest of the film never supplies. Don’t Look Up is absolutely right about the world in which we live, but that doesn’t make it a success. It’s toothless satire…” The Wrap
Release date:
Don’t Look Up will be released theatrically in select locations on December 10th and will stream on Netflix worldwide on December 24th 2021.
Cast and characters:
Timothée Chalamet … Yule
Leonardo DiCaprio … Doctor Randall Mindy
Jennifer Lawrence … Kate Dibiasky
Melanie Lynskey … June Mindy
Jonah Hill … Jason Orlean
Cate Blanchett … Brie Evantee
Meryl Streep … President Janie Orlean
Ariana Grande … Riley Bina
Ron Perlman … Colonel Ben Drask
Mark Rylance … Peter Isherwell
Michael Chiklis … Dan Pawketty
Tyler Perry … Jack Bremmer
Rob Morgan … Doctor Clayton ‘Teddy’ Oglethorpe
Himesh Patel … Phillip
Kid Cudi … DJ Chello
Paul Guilfoyle … General Themes
Meghan Leathers … Media Quant
Hettienne Park … Dr Calder
Robert Joy … Congressman Tenant
Tomer Sisley … Adul Grelio
Ross Partridge … Keith Ollens
Ashleigh Banfield … Dalia Hensfield
Teaser:
Trailer:
