#REVIEW: “DON’T LOOK UP”

Review by George Kozera for Mr. Will Wong

Late one night and alone, astronomy graduate student Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) believes she discovered an asteroid and immediately contacts her professor, Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio), with the news, who arrives with a number of astronomy students in tow. While crunching numbers, their faces freeze in fear as they ascertain that this piece of rock (the size of Mount Everest) is hurling towards Earth and will completely destroy the planet. They convince Dr. Oglethorpe (Rob Morgan), who works at NASA of this horrifying prediction and our three unlikely heroes fly to Washington DC to advise President Orlean (Meryl Streep) but neither she nor her Chief of Staff (and son) Jason (Jonah Hill) seem to be overly worried and are more concerned with celebrating a White House staffer’s birthday and the media blitz surrounding Orlean’s Supreme Court appointee. Dibiasky and Mindy embark on a Media Tour to warn everyone of the pending apocalyptic disaster and their stop at The Daily Rip, a feel-good morning show hosted by Brie and Jack (Cate Blanchett and Tyler Perry respectively) not only turns Kate into a hysterical and histrionic meme, there’s sexual tension between Randall and Brie. To give away more of the plot of DON’T LOOK UP would be catastrophic for one to fully enjoy the most original political satire since Kubrick’s “Dr Strangelove (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb).”

Oscar-winning Writer/Producer/Director Adam McKay (The Big Voice, Vice) makes no excuses as to his liberal leanings and deliciously skewers the American Republican mindset. It is impossible not to watch and listen to President Orlean and NOT think of Donald Trump. Replace the asteroid hurling towards the planet with the initial mishandling of the Covid- 19 pandemic and McKay’s poison pen drips with mercurial (and extremely funny) fury. Thrown in Peter Isherwell, an IT multi-billionaire, and Mark Rylance (in a staggering brilliant performance) will have you guessing if it’s Jobs or Musk that was his inspiration. McKay even lambasts those who blindly follow a political party’s ideology and instead of chanting “lock her up,” they believe the whole “asteroid will kill us all” is a hoax and, led by Orlean, chant “don’t look up.”

DiCaprio leads this stellar Cast and gives one of his best performances to date as the man riddled with insecurities as he tries to maneuver NASA into destroying the asteroid, try to warn the world of its potential doom and keep his hot and heavy affair with Blanchett a secret. Every bit his equal, Jennifer Lawrence (in an orange fright wig and nose rings) succinctly conveys anger self-righteousness and frustration with aplomb and sheer genius cinematic timing. Meryl Streep, as a female Trump on steroids, shines brighter than celestial stars in the sky – is there any role she CAN’T do that screams Oscar? Jonah Hill’s comedic timing is beyond reproach and I held my breath every time he was about to say anything, then burst into laughter. Rob Morgan’s stoic performance grounds DON’T LOOK UP from the ridiculous to the sublime.

But wait…there’s more! Timothée Chalamet as the skateboarding dude who ultimately winds up with Kate is pure joy. Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men) easily handles the many emotional rollercoasters her character deals with. Ron Perlman channels Slim Pickens’ performance in “Dr. Strangelove” with profanity and macho bluster. Ariana Grande, alongside Kid Cudi, steal every scene they are in with astute comedic timing. They’ll probably win an Oscar for writing and performing the song “Just Look Up.” Blanchett and Perry, as the morning hosts, bring an inspid selfishness to glorious heights. And look for a “Friends” and a Marvel alumnae to shock you into submission.

DON’T LOOK UP is a masterwork cinematic Satire; equally frightening and hilarious with situations and performances that will stand the test of time. It’s the most fun I’ve had in a darkened theatre in quite a while.

DON’T LOOK UP is in select theatres December 10, 2021 and on Netflix December 24, 2021.