Prior to seeing this film, I had heard Don't Look Up contained a rather ham fisted political message. This made me reluctant. However, thinking about it, it didn't seem like one should necessarily draw a straight parallel to climate change. The premise of a comet striking earth can also be interpreted as "We may not know the exact effects of climate change, we may not know exactly how to handle the coronavirus, but how would 21st century humanity handle a disaster that was guaranteed?" (Note that this is my interpretation, perhaps the director thinks otherwise.)
Also, I loved Anchorman as a kid, and figured it'd at least be a good laugh.
Starting from this concept, the film is successful as a thought experiment. It raises some interesting questions about politics, conflicting interests, human paranoia, etc. Additionally, the concept is so powerfully resonant in present times that it occasionally pulled me in entirely, made me genuinely worried for the fate of the earth.
So far so good, but I say occasionally. This is a film, not a thought experiment. Did it succeed as that?
Let's start with the good. The acting is was mostly amazing. Although some characters succeeded more than others, the actors were never to blame; they did all they could with the script. Particularly:
- Jennifer Lawrence is surprisingly credible as a (way too beautiful) PhD student as Kate Dibiasky, although perhaps a bit too much student and too little PhD;
- Leonardo DiCaprio does an incredible job portraying an anxious, awkward astronomer. Even as Dr. Mindy transforms into an adored, confident doctor, DiCaprio never pushes this too far and maintains the image of an awkward professor. Bravo!
- Meryl Streep I did not find very convincing as Jamie Orlean, a populist politician and president. Particularly during her speeches, she seemed too normal, as though she did not find her lane. Perhaps if she had, the character would've received more screen time and felt like a genuine villain; now, she felt like an attempt at comic relief.
- Jonah Hill is credible as Jason Orlean, the awkward son, but the comedy never really hits home entirely (more on this later).
- Mark Rylance as Peter Isherwell had great stage presence, with the combined awkwardness and intimidation of an Asperger billionaire.
- Rob Morgan, as Dr. Teddy Oglethorpe, was a good straight man, although the script did no justice to his character. Halfway through the film, he drops the mic and disappears, only to reappear for the final scene.
Minor characters portrayed by Cate Blanchet and Timothée Chalamet were effective (although, how old was Chalamet supposed to be?). Yet the casting did suffer from a Hollywood Pool Party syndrome, dragging in Ariana Grande, Kid Cudi, Ron Perlman, etc. For minor roles that relied heavily on their persona outside the film for their stage presence. This I find a major weakness in any script. It is using a hefty budget to buy credibility off-the-shelf.
Another thing that succeeded was the cinematography. The film is beautiful to watch, especially the final scenes, in which the comet comes into view. Transitions are smooth, locations are always credible, just stellar production all around.
Finally, what I enjoyed most about the film was the character development of Dr. Mindy. The script toyed with a truly interesting idea, that despite the world ending, this final half year would be the best year of Dr. Mindy's life. Overnight, he became the most interesting person in the world and, perhaps more importantly, sexy! The notion that his all too human mind could not comprehend the world ending but could most certainly feel this transformation was a deeply interesting subtheme - one that, for me, could've driven the entire film.
A strong concept, great acting, beautiful cinematography, even some interesting character development! What can go wrong? Well, despite all this, I found myself thoroughly bored throughout this film. An hour in, I paused to catch my breath and saw another 77 minutes left on the clock.
My engagement with this film was very spotty. Occasionally, I felt myself completely drawn in, such as on the first talk show appearance or when they launched the shuttles. But then a scene would drag on and I would feel my engagement slip into boredom. This happened time and time again, to the point of frustration. It was a new experience for me. Usually, I am either bored and disengaged, or drawn in and loving it. Sure, a plot point can ruin a film, but then I am disengaged from that point on. Here, the disengagement was cyclical, like a sinusoid.
I think the reason is that this film has an identity crisis. Is it a comedy? Well, it isn't very funny. The topic is not silly enough and most of its main characters are too deadpan to make the comedy work. Conversely, there is plenty room for a drama plot in DiCaprio's portrayal of Dr. Mindy alone, but it is constantly interrupted by the asinine attempts at comedy. The result is a classic mistake in any script: the audience constantly gets told what to think.
For instance, there is a scene in which Jennifer Lawrence's character in the oval office states the obvious, that she did not vote for President Streep, after which Jonah Hill's character adds a few lines that are supposed to be funny. The scene doesn't work at all. It doesn't work as drama, because it is redundant, and it doesn't work as comedy, because it isn't set up properly.
Similarly, there is a scene where Dr. Mindy tries to confront billionaire Peter Isherwell, who deflects by breaking down Mindy based on data analysis from his company, among which the conclusions that 'he seeks pleasure and runs from pain' and 'will die alone.' This squashes Mindy's character entirely. There was so much potential there, for the over-analysing scientist who fails to rise to the occasion due to his moment in the spotlight, but it never takes off. Instead, we get these ridiculous scenes, that are neither funny nor serious enough.
The result of these failed scenes is a strange flatness in the film. It is neither deep nor intelligent enough to be emotionally engaging, but it doesn't reach the comedic highs that rewards the audience for sitting through the scenes. Stuff just kind off happens. A good example is the 'Just Look Up' and 'Don't Look Up' juxtaposition of political movements when the comet becomes visible. The 'Just Look Up' movement is ominous and beautiful: people can no longer deny what they can see with their own eyes. The 'Don't Look Up' movement is just a silly afterthought that makes a fool of any Trump voter. It must've made a lot of sense in the writing room as an inclusion in a political comedy about a comet, but it doesn't work on the screen.
In conclusion, I had expected the film to be insulting to the audience from the conceptual perspective, clearly hammering home that anyone who has any doubts about climate change is an idiot. I did not find it to be so - although a Trump voter may certainly see this differently. However, I mostly found it insulting from the usual perspective: the script.
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