The Sunday Mail
Film Review
Tinashe Kusema
WITH the number of reboots, belated sequels, lazy writing and awful movies that Hollywood has been churning out of late, it is easy for movie critics such as myself to lower the bar these days.
The pandemic has not helped matters as some of the promising movies have either been shelved or delayed to a point that we all start losing interest (cough — “Morbius”).
That said, let me start off by saying “Don’t Look Up”, the star-studded comedy-satire, barely sneaks into my watchable column. I did get the gist of the movie, which is a satirical look into American politics, however, I do believe that Adam McKay did have a problem in striking the right balance between drama and comedy. The film tells the story of two astronomers — Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Kate Dibiasky (Jenifer Lawrence) — who discover a huge comet that happens to be on a collision course with planet Earth.
The two calculate that the comet will reach the earth’s atmosphere within six months, and set about warning both the government and the general populace about the impending doom.
The news is initially brushed off by US president Janie Orlean, played by the incomparable Meryl Streep.
However, after she gets embroiled in a sex scandal, she decides to change the narrative and put both Mindy and Dibiasky on a media tour to tell the world about the comet. It is at this point that all hell breaks loose, as both Mindy and Dibiasky have different reactions to their newfound fame.
A new mineral is also discovered on the comet’s surface, which in turn divides the nation as to what to do about the comet.
At face value, the film achieves its main purpose, which is to put politics and human folly on display so as to poke fun at it. The way the president skates through scandals and changes the narrative of the comet to her advantage is a testimony of what American politics is today.
Streep’s Janie Orlean is a caricature of former US president Donald Trump, and the film goes even further to explore the role the media.
The comet itself plays no substantial part in the actual movie other than being a prop. I mean one can actually replace the said comet with a more realistic doomsday phenomenon like the Covid-19 pandemic, and you will still get both educated and entertained.
That, to me, is the film’s saving grace.
Adam McKay, who wears the hat of the producer, co-writer and director, deserves a lot of credit for this.
However, the problem arises in the comic department, which goes from entertaining during the first 45 minutes and then gets redundant for the rest of the movie. Overkill becomes the order of the day, with most of the jokes either getting rehashed or repeated way too many times.
Given the fact the film has a runtime of approximately 138 minutes, you can just imagine what an inconvenience this is. Still, the hugely talented cast makes some of it bearable.
Top of said list of stellar performers is the duo of Streep and Jonah Hill, who star as US president and her Chief of Staff son, Jason, respectively.
As an experienced comedian, and a surprisingly good dramatic actor, Hill shines the brightest and carries Streep through some of the more challenging comedic beats like a true professional.
It doesn’t really take a rocket scientist to see clearly how much fun Streep had in the film.
Di Caprio and Lawrence hold the film together and really live up to their
reputation as dependable leads.
Honourable mention should also go to the likes of Cate Blanchett (Brie Evantee), Mark Rylance (Peter Isherwell), Ron Perlman (Colonel Benedict Drask) and Tyler Perry (Jack Bremmer).
All four show a grasp of the material and play their roles very well.
The likes of Ariana Grande, Timothee Chalamet and Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi also have cameo appearances, though I think they were only called upon to appeal to a younger demographic.
