Don’t Look Up
Don’t Look Up is a comedy that, despite general enjoyment, never really generates any belly laughs in amongst its heavy handed preaching.
Dr. Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his doctoral candidate assistant Kate Dibiaski (Jennifer Lawrence) are horrified to discover that a giant comet, 9 km wide, is hurtling towards Earth leaving only 6 months to live. The only thing that horrifies them more is the absolute non-reaction of the President of The United States (Meryl Streep) and her Chief of Staff (Jonah Hill). Faced with an administration more concerned with politicking than action, Dr. Mindy and Kate have to take action; first struggling to court the media, then being seduced by fame, before ultimately coming up against the forces of big tech and mega-industry in the fight to survive.
Directed by Adam McKay, Don’t Look Up could most easily be described as a ‘comedy with a message’. The issue with the film, fundamentally, is that the latter part of that term wildly dominates the former. Streep’s POTUS is a thinly veiled 2 and a bit hour long swipe at former President Donald Trump, and much like that man himself, the gags around that feel stale, tired and ultimately hateable.
Generally, however, there’s a lot to like about the movie. While not laugh out loud funny, it’s certainly an enjoyable (if overly long) watch. DiCaprio is a lot of fun, and McKay subverts his handsomeness while also making him a little bit detestable himself. Lawrence is on form, and when paired off late in the film with Timothee Chalamet, they both really shine. The standout undoubtedly is Jonah Hill as the Chief of Staff to (and son of) the President - his snarky demeanor particularly when against Lawrence’s Kate is pitch perfect for the first 2 hours of the movie.
The critical issue with Don’t Look Up however is that it just isn’t funny enough. Sure, there are a handful of chuckles and grin-worthy moments throughout. But there isn’t the belly bursting laughter that this really needs. Too many of the gags, particularly when focussed around Streep’s President character, feel old and tired. This feels like a movie that would have killed in 2016 - but in 2021 (almost 2022), this feels incredibly decrepit.
Once this hits Netflix, it will undoubtedly be a perfectly fine background watch. But even on that platform, it’s unlikely that this will hold your attention throughout, nor stay with you much after.
