How ‘Don’t Look Up’ became a massive Netflix hit and Oscar nominee
When “Don’t Look Up” hit Netflix — just in time for Christmas viewing — audiences hardly knew what was about to hit them.
No, not a giant world-destroying comet, but an apocalyptic satire starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, alongside a whiplash-inducing ensemble including Meryl Streep, Timothée Chalamet, Cate Blanchett, Tyler Perry, Mark Rylance, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill and Ariana Grande.
It’s a “satire about mass-media cynicism, political cronyism, big tech corruption, general American stupidity and anything else [Adam] McKay and his co-writer, David Sirota, can squeeze into their crowded fish barrel,” according to Times critic Justin Chang.
With four nominations for best picture, film editing, original score and original screenplay, McKay had more than Oscar in mind with his film. His main characters are not taken seriously in their attempts to save the planet, an attitude he believes persists today.
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Writer-director Adam McKay on how ‘Don’t Look Up’ captures a moment of cultural and social upheaval in a screwball satire starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence and Meryl Streep.
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How “Don’t Look Up” director Adam McKay and his stars wrap urgent messages into a big budget Netflix comedy package.
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Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence and a wasted (in the bad sense) Meryl Streep star in this pre-apocalyptic satire from Adam McKay.
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How Adam McKay approached the end of the world in his Netflix dark comedy.
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Adam McKay sits down for an in-depth chat on “The Envelope” podcast.
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Plus: Box office in 2021 was down 60% from pre-pandemic ticket sales. When will it recover?
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While wholly different stories, the two films follow similar paths in the cuts and focus to bring in a mix of tones and pacing.
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Adam McKay’s black comedy doesn’t need to be subtle. But it gets the media, politics and the effect of climate change all wrong.
