“Don’t Look Up” is a disappointing satire
With the political climate in our nation becoming increasingly polarized by the day, many in the nation question whether their government actually is concerned for the common good or for their own selfish desires. “Don’t Look Up” attempts to address these issues in a satirical film, hypothesizing that our government would turn to greed instead of common good in the face of disaster, in this case, a comet that would destroy earth on impact. However, due to its lack of truly funny “comedy,” the film fails to accomplish being a true eye opening satire.
I agree with the opinion they are projecting – that our government is filled with corrupt members that would promote their own desires rather than what is good for the public. Their portrayal of propaganda and how the high government officials sway the public into supporting their outlandish ideas is accurate. However, the humor that was tied into it made me continuously roll my eyes.
Clearly, the writers were trying to make the presidential administration symbolize the Trump administration, but the humor making fun of President Trump has run dry. We have all heard the same jokes over his lack of intelligence, his ego, his lack of decorum, so when I see it on the screen again, I think I am just watching another horrible SNL skit.
The film also makes references to conservative talk show hosts like Tucker Carlson, splicing in that “footage” in between reports on the comet that was supposed to destroy earth. Again, many people have shared clips of these commentators and made fun, but what is this accomplishing? The whole point of satire is to educate and comment on major issues, using comedy to increase awareness to the public. All these miserable “jokes” only serve to further polarize the political environment, making each party detest the other even more.
The only joke I managed to laugh at was the running joke Jennifer Lawrence’s character makes in constantly questioning why a government official would charge for free snacks. This had nothing to do with the actual plot and perfectly encapsulates why this is such a failed attempt at a satire.
The stacked celebrity list of Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo diCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, and many others proves to me that this was not a film aimed at actually sparking change in society, but yet another attempt of celebrities trying to project their political opinions to stay relevant and boost their image. It is their sad attempt at being “social justice warriors.”
All in all, I would not recommend this movie. Its lack of true, witty comedy fails to inspire change in its audience. This poor humor masked the true potential of the plot, the hyper-realist portrayal of a comet coming down on earth.
