Movie · 2021 · Comedy, Science Fiction, Drama · 2h 18m · R · English
Curator score: 1.9/10 (2.9M ratings)
Based on truly possible events.
Overview
Two astronomers go on a media tour to warn humankind of a planet-killing comet hurtling toward Earth. The response from a distracted world: Meh.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.9/10
IMDb: 7.1/10
Letterboxd: 3.03/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 56%
Metacritic: 49
TMDB: 7.1/10
Director
Adam McKay
Production
Hyperobject Industries
Cast
Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Timothée Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, Kid Cudi, Himesh Patel, Melanie Lynskey, Michael Chiklis, Tomer Sisley, Paul Guilfoyle, Robert Joy, Jack Alberts, Ting
Where to watch
Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A broad, angry satire about denial, media spectacle, and political paralysis, with a sharp premise that lands better as concept than as a fully balanced film. It’s worth watching if you enjoy star-driven, high-volume social satire and don’t mind a deliberately abrasive tone; skip it if you want subtlety, emotional nuance, or tighter comedic control.
Best for
viewers who like topical political satire
fans of disaster movies with comic bite
people interested in media criticism and climate allegory
audiences who enjoy big ensemble performances and broad caricature
Skip if
you dislike preachy or heavy-handed satire
you want restrained, elegant comedy
you’re sensitive to cynical, loud, or repetitive humor
you prefer character depth over message-first storytelling
Overview
Don't Look Up is a blunt-force satire that treats denial as both a civic failure and a punchline. Adam McKay pushes the movie toward maximalism: constant cross-cutting, shouting matches, media absurdity, and a steady escalation of public stupidity. The result is often funny, occasionally sharp, and very aware of its own outrage, but it can also feel overstuffed and self-satisfied.
Worth noting
The premise is strong enough to carry the film: two scientists try to warn a distracted culture about an extinction-level comet, only to be swallowed by branding, partisanship, and entertainment noise. The ensemble is game, and the movie gets real mileage out of its caricatures of power, celebrity, and cable-news logic. But the satire is so broad that the emotional stakes sometimes get flattened into skits.
Bottom line
If you respond to movies that turn current events into a scream of frustration, this will likely work for you. If you need precision, tonal discipline, or a deeper sense of human contradiction, it may feel like a lecture with jokes attached.
Top Letterboxd reviews
marsh boy (2.5★) · 61842 likes
oscar-worthy performance by leo pretending to like women his own age
˗ˏˋ suspirliam ˊˎ˗ (3.5★) · 19193 likes
they looked up 😔
kj (3★) · 18946 likes
it’s giving live-action chicken little
rach (4★) · 15459 likes
do y’all just hate the truth because this is exactly what would happen if this was a real scenario 😭
aubrey 🍓 (3★) · 13508 likes
upon discovering that the world will end in six months, leonardo dicaprio and jennifer lawrence do the only rational thing by having sex with cate blanchett and timothée chalamet