There are movies that enter Oscar season with an air of confidence, and a feeling that Academy Award nominations will be a given.
Don’t Look UpFor example, he checked all possible Oscar boxes:
- Big stars
- Oscar-certified director
- Anti-Trump content
- These topics are pure catnip for liberal voters
You can’t blame the talent behind the film, opening Dec. 10 in select theaters before bowing Dec. 24 on Netflix, for brainstorming their acceptance speeches now.
Oscar winner Adam McKay wrote and directed this satire The Big Short fame, uses an end-of-the-world scenario to warn viewers how Climate Change can’t be denied any longer. Stars include Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio and Meryl Streep. Jonah Hill is also part of the cast.
The so-called “first reactions” to the film seemingly confirmed all that Oscar buzz. It might be better to stay at home than compete for Oscars with other films.
- “Outrageously funny”
- “Hilarious and horrifying”
- “Funny, sickening, brilliant”
And then the official “Don’t Look Up” reviews rolled in.
The far-left review from TheWrap.com is scathing, all the while admitting the film matches the critic’s worldview to a “T”:
Ever meet someone who is open to all your ideas but disagrees with you in a way that makes it difficult for you to see the point? That’s “Don’t Look Up” in a nutshell…
Midwest Film Journal calls for both Don’t Look Up Vice, McKay’s last Oscar-bait film given far too much credit by Academy voters, according this critic:
It isn’t more fun or educational to watch a McKay film than it is to read a thread on Twitter by Seth Abramson. This con artist makes a living out of weaving hyperbolic stories that are mainly used for book sales and endorsements. It is digressive and rambling, but not as intelligent as it claims or as much as it should be.
This is where context matters.
McKay was once a fan of mainstream comedy like Anchorman, Step Brothers Other Guys. His progressive politics are now fused with his artistic vision, which is creating a divide between critics and those who agree with most of his positions.
Some faint praise is offered by the far-left AV club between the topcuts.
McKay’s film is fascinating to watch and also, in part, utter hell.
The Globe and Mail takes aim at a criticism that is often used against unwoke comedy.
The film’s conceit could be sharply effective, in careful hands. McKay is not a master at punching with hard fists. The result is messy and smarmy.
The left-leaning Slash Film dubs the movie a “disaster” in more ways than one:
He’s created a smug, shrill, obvious satire that has nothing to say other than “Humanity is screwed.” It’s not even that I disagree with that assessment — things sure seem dire right now! But good satire requires more than simply pointing a finger at something and asking, “Isn’t that f***ed up?”
McKay’s far-Left Indiewire adds to the chaos, while McKay receives only the most severe criticisms.
Is “Don’t Look Up” further proof that self-importance has dulled one of Hollywood’s funniest minds? I’m afraid so. Prestige is one hell of a drug, and McKay’s descent from the galaxy brain genius of “Step Brothers” to the winky-winky self-importance of his recent work has been like watching the world’s greatest jazz musician discover auto-tune and fall in love with the sound of their own voice.
Hollywood Reporter (a Leftist Hollywood Reporter) also reproaches the film.
[It’s]A satire that is smug, cynical and insufferably self-important. It purports comment to be on media and political inattention to climate crisis. But it really trivializes the issue. Dr. Strangelove it ain’t.
Also, THR mocks Donald Trump’s movie by pointing out that he is criticized in an unintentional way. Anyone with some working brain cells can spot this easily.
McKay possibly believes that by making the president a woman, the Trump allusion won’t be too on the nose. But if the short attention span and the disrespect for science weren’t enough, the liaison with a former porn star and the obsequious a**hole son desperate for her approval hammer it home with the subtlety of, well, a meteor impact.
Und noch Don’t Look Up is clinging to a “fresh” rating at Rotten Tomatoes (for now), with some scribes praising McKay’s handling of the material. The modern film critic is open-minded and often cuts films that are in line with their world views.
It’s possible the film’s score will soon slip into “rotten” territory — 60 percent or lower.
What’s more interesting is if the reviews will turn what looked like a sure Oscar lock into a movie lucky to nab a nomination or two – if that.
UPDATE: Here’s proof that liberal film critics go easy on progressive movies. Esquire, which leans religiously to the Left, framed its review of “Don’t Look Up” this way:
Is ‘Don’t Look Up’ a Movie That’s Impossible to Review? In Adam McKay’s new satire the world is doomed and the jokes are flat, but maybe that’s the point…
About Post Author
You may also like
-
The Benefits of Movable Soundproof Room Dividers: Flexibility, Noise Control, and Sustainable Design
-
What to Do Following an Unfair Workers’ Compensation Denial
-
Benefits of Utilizing After School Programs
-
Why Is Extra Security Needed for Events and Meetings?
-
How to Skip the Hassle of PA’s with Orbit AI