REVIEW: Not Even the A List Cast Can Save Don’t Look Up

Netflix’s newest offering, Don’t Look Up is a disjointed tale that attempts to parody our current political climate but lacks the comedic aspect needed to be enjoyable. Two astronomers, Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) have discovered that a comet is on track to slam right into Earth. Joined by Dr. Clayton “Teddy” Oglethorpe (Rob Morgan), the trio attempt to convince the President of the United States (Meryl Streep) and her son, Jason (Jonah Hill) to try and stop the comet before it crashes into Earth causing a massive extinction. When they can’t gather the support they need, the trio try a different attempt and come to find that people have other agendas and the world may end up being doomed.

Written, produced, and directed by Adam McKay, this movie was a complete disaster. Nothing made sense, the storyline wasn’t intriguing, and important scenes were filled with cuts to images or scenarios that only served to distract from the scene instead of driving it along. The movie certainly tried to parody a former president and our political system, but Don’t Look Up lacks any real comedic moments to successfully succeed. Throw in low budget looking special effects that distract from any sort of entertainment, it’s clear the film’s $75 million budget went to the actors featured in the movie. Even with all of the start power in this film, the movie cannot be saved.

With names like Lawrence, DiCaprio, and Streep, who are Oscar winners, there’s almost a guarantee the film will be good, but it isn’t. Their characters were awful and not funny at all. DiCaprio’s Mindy is stupidly predictable while Lawrence’s Dibiasky is written to be a one-dimensional “crazy” woman. Hill’s Jason was simply annoying from the very first scene while Timothée Chalamet’s break-the-rules Yule felt more like a filler rather than an actual character. Ariana Grande’s pop star, Riley Bina is the only funny character in the movie. Her character’s scene with DJ Chello (Scott Mescudi, aka Kid Cudi) where they sing their single, “Just Look Up” is by far the funniest part in the movie.

The movie has two post credit scenes, but don’t waste your time sticking around for them. Don’t Look Up is not worth checking out. The A+ cast might seem like a great draw, but don’t do it. Maybe McKay needed his comedic collaborator, Will Ferrell to bring in some of the laughs as this film just didn’t have them. I suggest passing on this one.

Grade: D