Don't Look Up (2021)

Don’t Look Up

Netflix/Hyperobject Industries

Release date: 12/24/2021

My Rating: 8/10

#whatonwhatsgood Fan Club Rating: 90%

Directed by

Adam McKay

Screenplay by

Adam McKay

Story by

Adam McKay, David Sirota

Produced by

Adam McKay, Kevin Messick

Starring

Leonardo DiCaprio as Dr. Randall Mindy

Jennifer Lawrence as Kate Dibiasky

Rob Morgan as Dr. Teddy Oglethorpe

Cate Blanchett as Brie Evantee

Meryl Streep as Janie Orlean

Jonah Hill as Jason Orlean

Mark Rylance as Peter Isherwell

Tyler Perry as Jack Bremmer

Timothée Chalamet as Yule

Ron Perlman as Colonel Benedict Drask

Ariana Grande as Riley Bina

Scott Mescudi as DJ Chello

Himesh Patel as Phillip Kaj

Melanie Lynskey as June Mindy

Michael Chiklis as Dan Pawketty

Tomer Sisley as Adul Grelio

Paul Guilfoyle as US Air Force Lieutenant General Stuart Themes

Robert Joy as Congressman Tenant

Cinematography

Linus Sandgren

Edited by

Hank Corwin

Music by

Nicholas Britell

Interviews 2/9/2022

Adam McKay - Director

"The idea for the movie came from talking with David Sirota who's a journalist, a speechwriter that I've known for years. We've always been trying to talk about what is the way to encapsulate the looming giant threats that we're facing in this world.  First of which would be the climate crisis.

We wanted to make a movie that makes you laugh out loud.  We wanted people to actually laugh. After these last 2 years, we need a good laugh.  So that was a big part of it. 

What the movie's really about is all the f-up bizarre, strange dysfunctional ways that we now talk to each other through social media and TV."

Cate Blanchett - "Brie Evantee"

"I started talking to Adam about this over 18 months ago.  He described this character about this talk

show host. When I read the script, I thought, this is so possible."

I think, "Don't Look Up" is about the inability or the refusal to deal with reality."

Dr. Amy Mainzer - Science Consultant

"I had a great time working on this movie because it was a lot of fun working with really smart people who deeply care about the role of science in society. 

I spent a lot of time talking with Adam, Leo, and Jennifer about just how do we convey what scientists feel about the information that we're learning and what do we do? 

The comet is about 9 kilometers across and it's first spotted by Jennifer Lawrence's character."

Hank Corwin - Editor

"I'd be thrilled if people in an audience were able to realize that you have to believe in the truth. It's really that simple."

Himesh Patel - "Phillip"

"Don't Look Up is about 2 scientists who discover that there is a massive comet headed towards earth which would cause destruction and the death of humanity.

I play Phillip Kaj, who is the boyfriend of Kate Dibiasky played by Jennifer Lawrence. 

He is a journalist. He makes a choice which is to become some sort of expert on everything that's happening. He removes himself from Kate's life and kind of goes on his own weird little journey."

Jennifer Lawrence - "Kate Dibiasky"

"It's the funniest script maybe I've ever read.  

Kate Dibiasky is a student in astronomy at Michigan State.  She ends up discovering a comet. When she tries to tell this news to the rest of the world she is met with resistance.  The film is about how people react to a scary truth."

Kevin J. Messick - Producer

"Don't Look Up is the story of 2 low-level Astronomers who make the biggest discovery of their lives. A comet is headed towards earth and nobody cares."

Leonardo DiCaprio - "Dr. Randall Mindy"

"If I were to describe, Don't Look Up in a nutshell, it would be an analogy of modern-day culture and our inability to hear and listen to scientific truth."

Dr. Randall Mindy is an astronomer from Michigan State, not necessarily a high-level astronomer, but happens to be in the right or wrong place in time.  His student discovers a comet is hurtling its way towards Earth. They do the calculations together and notify the government.  So they keep trying to re-articulating the issue and the government tries to negotiate the percentage of probability of what's going to happen to humanity. 

It brings up anxiety and panic to him (Dr. Randall Mindy).  

They understood that the administration that doesn't fundamentally believe in the facts and the truth.  So they decide to go rogue and ultimately reach out to the news." 

Mark Rylance - "Peter Isherwell"

"Don't Look Up is a very difficult film to describe in words, which is how every piece of art should really be.  If you can do it in words, why, make it.  

I don't want to really go into telling you what the story is because that would take away the great delight."

Meryl Streep - "President Janie Orlean"

"I thought the script was really great, important, and really funny.  I had no idea what everybody else was doing and when I saw the movie, I thought it was the most important movie of my lifetime.

I had a lot of fun working with Jonah Hill.  He was really fun to be with."

Rob Morgan - "Dr. Teddy Oglethorpe"

"Don't Look Up is a story of 2 low-level astronomers who go on this giant media tour to alert the world that the end of the world could really be approaching. But nobody cares. 

Dr. Teddy Oglethorpe's job is to clean the junk in outer space."

Scott Mescudi - "DJ Chello"

"Don't Look Up is pretty much about a comet coming to destroy the earth, and no one's taking it seriously.

DJ Chello is a huge Dj you meet at the beginning of a movie who is coming out of a relationship with Riley Dina, who's a huge pop star."

Tyler Perry - "Jack Bremmer"

"Don't Look Up is about something that I hope never happens in this world as long as we're alive.

Jack Bremmer is a news anchor who works at the Daily Rip. He's is on one of those shows that people like to tune in on cable networks.

Jack is just trying to get through the day.  He is just trying to make the show, get through the segments and that's what his focus is.  He doesn't really care. He just wants to get out of there."