Thoughts on "Don't Look Up"

I finally got around to reading the full script for Don't Look Up. Predictions abound of course whenever Meryl signs up for a new project. This happens to be especially warranted for this movie, considering the super A-list cast, and an Academy Award-nominated director in Adam McKay. There's been some chatter on Awards Worthy that the script isn't very good. That seemed a bit peculiar to me, considering the caliber of actors who've agreed to participate. For those who are unfamiliar with the story, Meryl will be portraying the president of the United States in a substantial supporting role, alongside co-leads Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence. Cate Blanchett also has a good-sized supporting role as well. An asteroid is on a collision course with Earth, and DiCaprio and Lawrence go on a media tour to attempt to warn everybody. 

My first impression is that the script really is very satirical. I don't know how this would be a film if there had been no President Trump, or Fox News for that matter. Multiple times I found myself cracking up at some of the lines and the sad ridiculousness of the plot. I say "ridiculous" in that it's not too far from what actually happens in regard to public response to news coverage, and the film is a good allegory for what we've seen in regard to misinformation during the pandemic.

Now to Meryl's character. President Orlean is a right-wing, Bible-banging science-denier. In other words rather like much of America, unfortunately. It's so pervasive in her character that it almost made it seem like her character herself was playing a part--like for her constituents, which may be the case. I pictured a combination of Kayleigh McEnany, Laura Ingraham, and especially Michele Bachmann. It'll definitely be interesting to see how Meryl plays it. I think it'll be a good mix of funny, scary, and infuriating. 

It's hard to say what kind of awards play this might have. I could see how it could go either way. The script is certainly more wacky than The Big Short, but it's hard to say for sure whether the version I read is the final one. It's very possible that there have been edits to it. It's certainly an ambitious production, which of course lends itself to potential disaster when it's actually seen. But as I said at the beginning of this post, considering who said "yes" to being in this film, I tend to think it has the potential for greatness, including a meaty role we haven't necessarily seen from Meryl before. 

Filming is currently underway in Boston with an expected release on Netflix later this year.