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Adam McKay’s star-studded, comet-crashing satire uses the genre to critique government, media and corporations in American society. McKay effectively uses a world-ending comet as a catalyst for conversation about the shortcomings of modern government and media when it comes to climate change. However, in a moment of time where society has become a cosmic snowball full of self-parody and ineptitude, “Don’t Look Up” becomes a $75 million crosshair over how to correctly point out societal flaws.

“Don’t Look Up” pokes fun at the failings of modern American society by unapologetically commentating on three major factions of it. The film touches on the American fascination with celebrity culture and social media following, the out-of-touch and greedy nature of the political and industrial elite, and the “yassification” of news by depicting serious global threats in a light and breezy manner.

The film depicts McKay’s frustration through absurdity as Ph.D. student Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) accompanies her astronomy professor Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) on a media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy Earth in a little over six months’ time.

Alarmed, they initially meet with the head of the Planetary Defense Coordination Office, Teddy Oglethorpe (Rob Morgan) before heading to the White House to relay the news. They find that the president, a buffoonish Hillary Clinton/Donald Trump hybrid played by Meryl Streep, is more focused on her scandal-ridden Supreme Court nominee to care about a potential “extinction-level event.”

This leads them to a scathing, slightly overblown recreation of how the media and the political atmosphere are flawed. Mindy and Dibiasky travel to different talk shows similar to the “Today” show and “Fox & Friends,” where the pair see how modern news publications and social media often dilute news to keep it light, mishandling their role as the “purveyor of truth.”

The topic of the comet eventually becomes a culture-war linchpin once the government and industry leaders discover that mining the comet can lead to major economic profits, prompting these leaders to promote the slogan “Don’t look up.”

Though the movie focuses a great deal of time on the same themes of political and media incompetence, the film is not subtle about it. The movie is clearly a comedy in the same vein as other satires like Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove” and HBO’s “Veep.”

“Don’t Look Up,” however, differs from these titles because the film depicts American frustration through the eyes of regular people versus through the eyes of the elite, allowing the tone to switch from realistic to silly to bleak. This approach doesn’t exactly land when compared to other famous satires. In “Dr. Strangelove” and “Veep,” almost every character is committed to its absurdity while also being oblivious to the anarchy of their habitat.

McKay’s film desperately tries to retain elements of core human traits by making the main protagonists be even-keeled, good-natured scientists surrounded by absurdity. Although both “Veep” and “Dr. Strangelove” also take place in the pseudo-real world, both aren’t trying to have a moral high ground like “Don’t Look Up.” “Veep” and “Dr. Strangelove” expect the viewer to understand the flaws of the characters through most of their eccentric personalities and consistently questionable judgment.

“Don’t Look Up” seems too scared of the real-world allegory and the ramifications to trust the viewer to take away the correct lesson. The film seems to question if its viewers will understand the nature of the satire when reality itself has become self-parody.

Most of the film’s comedy is presented in its opening hour through outlandish sequences and a tight comedic script. McKay’s comedy does ooze out in very subtle ways as well. He clearly had real trust in his actors’ abilities to convey his story and humor as the film holds a cast with a combined 41 career Oscar nominations. The leading performances are stellar from DiCaprio, Lawrence and Morgan, but the supporting roles get an equal chance to shine as Jonah Hill, Cate Blanchett and Tyler Perry stood out from the cast. The film’s quick editing style also brings in extra comedy and more liveliness while the score, which is full of jazz and blues, keeps the film energetic and fresh.

The art of satire is a difficult trope to fully excel at, as it causes the filmmakers to take on the task of merging entertainment and real-world discourse. “Don’t Look Up” is McKay’s latest attempt at this. The film does its job to find comedy and laughter in a depressing setting while keeping the viewer engaged, but it is too over-the-top in moments to be taken too seriously. Satire works best when it makes the viewer the moral high ground instead of the protagonists.

Although quite enjoyable as a film overall, “Don’t Look Up” is too forthright as McKay doesn’t seem to want his film to be left open to interpretation. But in a world in which many consistently question other people’s judgment, that may not necessarily be a bad thing.

Published on January 24, 2022 at 11:51 pm