“Don’t Look Up,” a newly debuted satirical black comedy, has left critics largely divided as to whether the film is a decent piece of media or not. Fear not, I will provide you with my opinion on why this motion picture is not worth the hype.
The feature film hit theaters on Dec. 5, before its release on Netflix on Dec. 24. It's creators boast its all-star cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio (Randall), Jennifer Lawrence (Kate), Timothée Chalamet (Yule), Jonah Hill (Jason) and Meryl Streep (Janie), to name a few.
With such a great cast, I anticipated the movie to likely be spectacular and perhaps even Oscar-worthy. Though I couldn’t have been more wrong.
The characters entirely lack chemistry with one another. I’d like to think that the casting director lumped a sum of A-list celebrities into one movie so that audiences would see it in theaters.
Not only does the cast lack chemistry, but the characters in "Don't Look Up" also lack any semblance of character development.
I didn’t see anything throughout the course of the relatively long film that made me feel compelled to care for any of the characters or feel as if their actions were motivated by something deeper than surface-level emotions. Ultimately, at the end of the movie, I couldn’t bring myself to feel sorry for any of them. None of them were likable.
One of my biggest gripes is that Chalamet is in the movie for no reason. His character furthers the plot in no way, he is in no way memorable and his character’s mannerisms are a direct rip-off of his previous role in "Lady Bird." My guess is that he starred in the movie so his face could be plastered on posters to draw in younger audiences.
However, the main critique I have of this film is that the movie is supposed to be a subtle and elusive jab at how issues like the climate crisis are overshadowed by elitism and political division.
Director Adam Mckay executes this in a way that is neither insightful nor meaningful in any way. The movie plays out in a way that appears to try to educate audiences on the detriments of government inaction and the ignorance of the wealthy.
I believe there is something both highly ironic and depressing about Hollywood’s elites, making millions of dollars from a film criticizing the inaction of the elites in times of trouble. The movie panders to the wealthy and ignorant. Anyone who has paid attention in the last decade knows that the climate crisis is worsening, and immediate action needs to be taken.
From my perspective, it is despicable to spend $75 million making a movie telling the world about an issue most of us are already painfully hyperaware of.
Some of those funds could have easily been donated to climate relief efforts. A portion of the proceeds at the box office could have been donated to climate research funds. But in my research, I haven’t found an ounce of profit going toward any notable causes.
The film concludes with a predictable ending that intends to leave audiences feeling inspired to veer from the destructive direction the world is headed in. On the contrary, I only felt outraged that I had wasted over two hours of my life consuming this drab, performative film fronting as a call to action.
I rate this movie a 2/10.
I would give it a lower score if not for a select few of Hill’s jokes.