On December 24, Netflix premiered Adam McKay's new comedy 'Don't Look Up' with a star-studded cast. Opinions about the film are divided, but it definitely deserves a chance.

Recent films by Adam McKay ('The Big Short' and 'Vice') speak to the audience about incredibly serious topics in a comedic vein, which is why they earn audience sympathy and nominations for Hollywood's top awards. 'Don't Look Up' is no exception and has perhaps even increased the comedic intensity. The director mocks absolutely everything that comes his way, but is it funny?

What's the Plot?

Graduate student Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence), while working at an observatory, discovers a comet and shares the discovery with her academic advisor, Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio). During research and various astronomical calculations, it becomes clear that Comet Dibiasky (the celestial body was named after the graduate student who discovered it) is heading towards our home planet. The probability of the astronomical object, ranging from 6 to 10 kilometers in diameter, colliding with Earth is approaching one hundred percent.

The end of the world is practically inevitable. With the help of the head of the Planetary Defense Department, Dr. Oglethorpe (Rob Morgan), the heroes arrange a meeting with the President (Meryl Streep) and her secretary, who is also her son (Jonah Hill), who are completely uninterested in this event. The head of state's current problems are far more serious. Ratings are slipping, and the candidate nominated by Ms. Orlean for the position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has been hit by a scandal involving his past work as a nude model. What end of the world? The White House turns the astronomers away, but the heroes decide to publicize the event through the press.

Mix My Lady Your Most Ruthless Cocktail

'Don't Look Up' has assembled an incredibly star-studded cast. A medley of Hollywood celebrities, Oscar nominees, and winners is topped off with a couple of musical artists and cameos. If you don't count the 'Avengers' crossovers, it's been a while since audiences have been impressed by such projects.

On the one hand, it's gratifying that the film is teeming with famous names, but on the other hand, some secondary characters pale in comparison to the main heroes, causing the actors to overact in an attempt to be remembered by the audience. The most striking example is the morning show 'The Daily Cut' hosts played by Tyler Perry and Cate Blanchett. The duo tries too hard to seem special in such a short amount of screen time, and while Blanchett quite manages to handle the task, Perry looks rather absurd.

In this crazy mix of the cast, there are, of course, more positive examples than negative ones. The inimitable Jennifer Lawrence looks great in the role of Kate Dibiasky, whose image differs strikingly from the word 'graduate student.' The actress suits the strange hairstyle, the piercing, and the peculiar style of clothing. It's even hard to imagine anyone else in Lawrence's place.

Oscar-winning laureate Leonardo DiCaprio is not playing the best role of his career. The coveted statuette has been won, the goal achieved, he can take a break from overly significant and serious projects. No, 'Don't Look Up' is also a serious film, but here Leo acts more as an eco-activist interested in the issues raised. Dr. Mindy looks pale compared to his previous roles, which were designed for the long-awaited award. The name of the famous Hollywood actor in the film rhymes with a call to focus attention on topics that personally concern him.

Meryl Streep and Jonah Hill look great and funny in supporting roles. Even Kid Cudi and Ariana Grande, who played hyperbolic versions of themselves in the film, look quite appropriate, which, unfortunately, cannot be said about Rob Morgan. The actor's character only facilitates the meeting of the main characters and President Orlean at the very beginning, after which he merely appears on screen. Dr. Oglethorpe no longer has any particular influence on the plot, but he appears on screen from time to time, creating the illusion of involvement in events (and at one point inserts a joke about the relationship between police and people of color, how relevant).

Among the other secondary characters in 'Don't Look Up', I'd like to highlight Ron Perlman in the role of a US 'hero'. A hilarious collective parody image of saviors of humanity and the entire planet from popular action movies. He reminds you of everyone and no one at the same time. But the character of Timothée Chalamet, who appears only in the second half, cannot boast the same. His skater character is quite interesting, but for the most part, like Rob Morgan, he is aimlessly on screen. The young star fit into the role perfectly, but good acting doesn't always help to salvage a character who doesn't have much influence on the plot.

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Open material

Undoubtedly, the cocktail of Hollywood celebrities pleases the viewer's eye and is, rather, a plus for the film, but at times the characters break out of the main narrative and seem superfluous at a certain stage of the story.

Laugh and Sin

Adam McKay's new film is a fusion of apocalyptic drama and biting political satire. The director mocks literally everything that comes to hand and touches on modern America. The media and morning/evening shows, the development of technology and the dominance of the internet, politics and corruption, money and fame, conspiracy theories and ends of the world, propaganda and manipulation. Even memes get their share from the ironic director.

President Meryl Streep is an obvious parody image of Donald Trump. The secretary and son played by Hill are the former president's relatives in leading positions. The character of Mark Rylance (Peter Isherwell, according to the plot, one of the richest people in the world and the creator of the company 'BASH', which produces popular smartphones) is a collective image of billionaires like Elon Musk and Tim Cook.

It is, of course, difficult to single out the central themes of the film in such a mess, but most likely it is the comet Dibiasky flying towards Earth, the size of Elbrus (the environmental issue), and the inaction coupled with the permissiveness of the authorities (politics). The others, of course, are also important, but are raised in passing, without getting the lion's share of screen time.

The pursuit of ratings by both the media and politicians, the belittling of the importance of science, society's indifference to the end of the world, the disunity of people, racism, false heroism, and the eternal search for profit — there are many themes, but the author does not have time to talk about them all, and it doesn't make sense anyway. Firstly, there simply isn't enough time, and secondly, you can't keep up with everything. 'Don't Look Up' is already overloaded with the issues it raises. If McKay had tried to explore each one, it would have been a complete failure.

Confirmation of the above are the parodies of Trump's relatives and billionaires. Jonah Hill's character is so hyperbolic that he breaks out of the bounds of irony and crosses into the surreal. He prays for material things (apartments, houses, furniture), steals speeches from movies, and from the stage calls the working class (almost all of his mother's voters) inferior people.

It is also unclear what the billionaires did to deserve such biting satire? More precisely, regarding Tim Cook, it's obvious. The iPhone and other company products are released every year and are almost no different from the previous version, and the prices are sometimes such that Steve Jobs himself couldn't afford to buy a computer. But what does Elon Musk have to do with it? The man is trying to make the world a little better. He produces electric cars for the sake of the environment, explores space. Dubious reasons for mockery in a blockbuster with a central theme of ecology.

It is obvious why opinions regarding 'Don't Look Up' are divided. Not everyone likes the exaggerated picture of modern society, exposing a wide variety of problems. Self-irony is a strong quality, but, alas, it is not available to everyone. People who see their shortcomings being mocked take offense, but laugh loudly at the shortcomings of others. Let the film be endlessly funny, but if even one joke hits a nerve, the thousand others are instantly negated.

Most of the jokes ultimately turn out to be funny. Maybe it's not the best satire on modern America, but 'Don't Look Up' is funny and relevant. Meryl Streep with her parody of Trump and her photos with celebrities placed all over the Oval Office, Ariana Grande with Kid Cudi, parodying pop stars, particularly themselves, fit incredibly well into the film. Even running jokes hit the mark at a certain point. The first time it's funny, the second time a little awkward, but the third time it's incredibly hilarious.

Where to Look?

It's great that against the backdrop of pathos, political games, and mockery of global problems, the script does not forget about something simple and vital. Using DiCaprio's character as an example, 'Don't Look Up' shows an ordinary person, a scientist, who has never been immersed in the cauldron of the big game. Everything that Adam McKay mocks has an impact on the main character. In an instant, Dr. Mindy gains both popularity, power, and ratings. Intoxicated by vices, the astronomer briefly becomes what he had condemned shortly before.

Thanks to Randall Mindy, the director does not forget to remind viewers of ordinary family values. People on the covers are often ordinary, with all the inherent shortcomings of everyone. They are susceptible to benefits and are far from ideal. Human relationships against the backdrop of the apocalypse and the inevitability of death help the main characters realize the full value of each other, the value of relatives and loved ones.

The film's editing repeatedly creates a contrast between 'worlds.' Documentary inserts with nature and animals are abruptly replaced by littered city streets. A crowd of people near the president and modest families watching the events on TV. Those believing in the comet's approach at a beautiful concert and the proletariat at the president's speech.

Sometimes during viewing, you catch yourself thinking: 'I wish the comet would actually fall to Earth and destroy them all. If people are so stupid that they are divided over the obvious approach of doom, continue to pollute and kill the planet, seek only their own gain, thinking about no one and nothing but themselves and ratings, then maybe Earth is truly sick, and the comet is a vaccine against humanity?'

On the one hand, it's understandable that people don't believe in the end of the world; how many have we already survived? But when the fact becomes obvious, there are still those who deny the existence of the celestial body and obey the authorities' call not to look at the sky.

The government literally wants to control every person. They need power and complete submission. People raise their eyes when they seek hope, a reason not to give up, they turn to God, but in the film, the authorities literally urge: 'Don't look up! Keep your heads down!' On the one hand, this is a call not to look at the comet. On the other hand, it's McKay's metaphor that we are merely toys in the hands of the state, which wants the people to bow their heads and sacredly believe everything said from the rostrums and TV screens.

What's the Verdict?

'Don't Look Up' does not try to be a typical apocalyptic film like '2012'. Primarily, it is a comedy, a satire on modernity, and only then a film about the end of the world. That is why the special effects do not look as impressive as in blockbusters.

Even if you don't care about the themes raised by the film, and you are not interested in the seriousness hidden behind the fun, you won't be bored. The comedic element is maintained until the very end, so in a film packed with jokes on various topics, everyone will find something to laugh about. What better way to end another 'difficult year'? It is only through the lens of comedy that one can live in the modern world; otherwise, you could really go crazy.