Film Review: "Don't Look Up" (2021).

"Based on truly possible events." This is Don't Look Up. This satirical comedy science fiction film written and directed by Adam McKay. Kate Dibiasky, an astronomy grad student, and her professor Dr. Randall Mindy 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, Kate and Randall embark on a media tour that takes them from the office of an indifferent President Orlean and her sycophantic son and Chief of Staff, Jason, to the airwaves of The Daily Rip, an upbeat morning show hosted by Brie and Jack. With only six months until the comet makes impact, managing the twenty-four-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?

In early November 2019, it was announced that McKay would write, direct and produce a new film under his Hyperobject Industries banner and would be distributed by Paramount Pictures. In late February 2020, Netflix acquired the film from Paramount. Additionally, it was announced that principal photography would commence in April 2020. However, it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By late November, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Timothée Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, Scott Mescudi, Cate Blanchett, Himesh Patel, Melanie Lynskey, Michael Chiklis, Liev Schreiber, Sarah Silverman, Chris Evans and Meryl Streep were cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced and wrapped in late February 2021. Filming took place throughout Massachusetts.

The film stars DiCaprio, Lawrence, Morgan, Hill, Rylance, Perry, Chalamet, Perlman, Grande, Mescudi, Blanchett, Patel, Lynskey, Chiklis, Schreiber, Silverman, Evans and Streep. DiCaprio and Lawrence lead an ensemble cast firing on all cylinders. The standout, however, is DiCaprio and Lawrence's righteously paranoid Dr. Mindy and Kate. Carell was primarily known as a comic actor, but he's been moving towards drama for a while now.

Both annoying and effective as McKay manages to simultaneously inform and talk down to his audience. Though presented as a jet black, indeed a cold-hearted, satire, it's concerned with reminding American audiences in particular just how close they can come to Armageddon. It manages to illuminate how the political and social failure occurred with scathing wit and highly-stylized editing that keeps you on your toes. Even a talented cast cannot make this labyrinthine topic fully understandable unless the viewer is already modestly familiar with the subject matter. The film could have been a subtle, restrained procedural drama. Instead, it's a confused clusterfuck of cinematic tropes piled atop a good yarn. McKay's comedic instincts serve him very well here, keeping what could be a very dry subject always feeling wry and engaging, while the facts in turn provide structure and substance.

Simon says Don't Look Up receives:

Also, see my review for Vice.