Back in December of 2021, I, like many of you, stumbled upon Netflix’s newest original release “Don’t Look Up”. With a star-studded cast, including Leonardo DeCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Timothee Chalamet, and Meryl Streep, the movie attracted much attention. I encountered endless Tiktoks about the film; opinions varied so wildly that I found myself conflicted as to whether I should even bother watching. About a month ago, I finally mustered my willpower to sit down and watch it. Needless to say, I am still not sure how to feel about it.
The film centers itself around the discovery of a comet, set on a collision course with Earth, set to wipe out humanity within 6 months. Astronomers Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) and Randall Mindy (Leonardo Decaprio) alert government officials of the comet’s danger, only to be met with inaction and skepticism from President Orlean (Meryl Streep). Streep’s president very obviously serves as a reference to climate-denying politicians, her rhetoric increasingly striking a nerve as the film progresses. Dibiasky and Mindy, met with intense skepticism and spiraling media attention, find themselves at the center of a torn planet. Streep’s President Orlean goes out of her way to overtly instill distrust in Dibiasky and Mindy, culminating in her rally chant from which the film gets its name.
Writer Adam McKay makes no attempt to hide the movie’s obvious commentary on the climate crisis. McKay’s outlandish style of writing pinpoints ridiculous instances and practices within American capitalist culture and seems to throw it all in our faces. The film’s more tender moments offset the film’s snide humor and irony. The film’s script, written long before the COVID-19 pandemic, hits even harder upon its release. Its commentary, though seemingly silent on issues of structural issues contributing to climate change, focuses heavily on inaction. Other notorious climate change films present the realities of our future; McKay, however, frustrates and entertains. Ultimately, movies like “Don’t Look Up” set out to almost shove us on the right path by hitting us over the head with humor and irony. The ironic cultural commentary makes you squirm, as you watch these characters fall into the same trap we have ourselves. The film itself was so frustrating, but also cathartic. Despite its appealing nature, we really have to ask ourselves if movies like this accomplish what they set out to do. The polarizing response it received seems to prove the film’s own point: the cycle of media and discussion tends to grow so intense that often we end up missing the purpose. If I took anything away from watching, I’d say that “Don’t Look Up” holds a magnifying glass to our culture’s constant need for media turnover that obscures serious issues. Entertaining and–all in all– really frustrating, Don’t Look Up is most definitely worth watching.