Today, Don’t Look Up finally made it to Netflix — we had commented on it’s trailer earlier. The reviews aren’t great — it’s sitting at 56% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing. However, movie reviewers and climate activists aren’t one and the same. So, yours truly sat down with some Christmas knitting and watched the movie this afternoon to be sure you all had the scoop.
For starters, Don’t Look Up is begging to be watched from the credits alone: Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Timothée Chalamat, Jonah Hill, Ariana Grande, and more. These actors take on the challenge of getting us to care about the climate crisis. How? By making it a comet hurtling toward Earth. Don’t Look Up is billed as a climate allegory, and I’m here for it.
It is certainly not a movie without failings — the plot is thin, solutions to our problem are not really considered, and for a comedy, it might just be a little too real. I certainly don’t think this is the film that is going to be changing hearts and minds. However, despite all that, it’s still worth your time.
Are you someone that just can’t wrap your mind around the state of our world? Are you someone that has ever tried to convince someone that the climate crisis is real? Are you someone that keeps trying but sometimes just feel like you’re going to lose it? Rest assured — JLaw and Leo have your back — and it’s honestly therapeutic. The real joy of Don’t Look Up is in feeling understood as Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio play scientists trying (and failing) to convince the public and our political leaders to take the threat seriously. This satire doesn’t feel far from the truth at all, and every moment rings true: the self-serving president, the dangerous billionaire, media spin, all of it. This movie is a reminder that you’re not crazy, the times we’re living in are.
And while the movie doesn’t end on an inspirational or happy note, what I can offer is this — the movie rings true because there are so many people out there screaming “look up!” at the top of their lungs right alongside you. And while our voices may not have broken through just yet, I know they will.
As with the pandemic, a lot of people don’t want to to be told what to think, even in an amusing way, so that may explain some of those ratings. You can’t do everything with a single movie, so I don’t think it’s fair to criticuize them for not including solutions.