Don’t Look Up

by

In the years following the release of his dark comedy “Don’t Look Up,” which sparked intense debate, director Adam McKay continues to express thoughts on the movie. His stance is rooted in the belief that many viewers might not have fully grasped the film’s message about climate change.

According to Variety, McKay spoke to NME and discussed the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles that have destroyed numerous mansions. Remarkably, he managed to link these recent events to disaster films by saying:

Amidst these continual disasters we’re experiencing, a movie may appear insignificant and absurd. However, what stood out as uplifting and invigorating wasn’t the criticisms or the highbrow influencers who disliked it; instead, it was the widespread audience appreciation for that movie.

In approximately 85 different nations, it became the top choice, ranging from Pakistan to the United States and Uruguay. This is quite exceptional for a comedy, as they often rely on culturally specific references that limit their appeal to particular regions.

The Netflix comedy-drama featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence was an expensive and risky production known as “Don’t Look Up,” which garnered mixed reactions from viewers. The impressive cast for this movie included DiCaprio, Lawrence, Ariana Grande, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Timothée Chalamet, and Kid Cudi among others. Regrettably, it seems that this stellar ensemble is the only thing people recall about the film. As per its summary:

In a groundbreaking astronomical finding, graduate student Kate Dibiasky along with her professor Dr. Randall Mindy detect a startling comet on a catastrophic collision path with Earth. The catch? People appear indifferent as warning the human race about an impending planet-killer the size of Mount Everest seems to be an unwelcome truth to handle. Enlisting the aid of Dr. Oglethorpe, Kate and Randall embark on a whirlwind media journey that takes them from the uninterested office of President Orlean and her power-hungry son and Chief of Staff, Jason, to the bubbly set of The Daily Rip, a cheerful morning show hosted by Brie and Jack. With merely half a year until impact, successfully navigating the 24-hour news cycle and capturing the attention of the public engrossed in social media before it’s too late proves surprisingly amusing – what will be the key to making humanity finally gaze skyward?

During the previous awards season, my film was fortunate enough to be nominated for four Academy Awards, with Best Picture among them. Regrettably, we didn’t take home any trophies that night. The nomination itself, coupled with the mixed critical response, might have been influenced by Netflix’s robust For Your Consideration campaign during that particular award season.

As a movie enthusiast, I find myself reminiscing about “Don’t Look Up,” a film that garnered a 55% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes and an impressive 78% audience score. Yet, despite its status as Netflix’s second most-watched original film ever, it seems that the movie has somehow slipped the minds of many viewers.

‘Don’t Look Up’ Is a Misunderstood, but Apparently Relevant Movie

McKay devised a means to relate the screening of his film to the ongoing predicament Los Angeles residents are experiencing right now. It’s a delicate yet potentially contentious time to discuss climate change given the ongoing investigation into the fires, and the fact that the crisis is still unfolding in real-time.

However, the filmmaker behind movies such as “Vice” and “The Big Short” discovered a correlation between his critically-reviewed film and our current era.

The number of people who watched that movie on Netflix isn’t clear, but it’s believed to be anywhere from 400 million to over half a billion. What resonated with viewers was the theme of gaslighting – being deceived by their leaders, media, and industries. When I recognized this as the shared experience, I thought, ‘Of course!’ It’s a phenomenon that’s happening globally in our current neo-liberal economy. It’s like a cancer that’s affecting everyone.

Read More

2025-01-17 22:31