"Don't Look Up" is a truly stellar satire﻿ of the complications that can unexpectedly
arise at the end of the world.
The film follows a pair of brainy astronomers, Randall Mindy and Kate Dibiasky, as they accidentally
discover a planet-killing comet on a direct collision course with Earth.
After the scientists are basically blown off by the ratings-obsessed president, they have
no choice but to go straight to the public.
Co-written and directed by Adam McKay, the film features an all-star cast of actors who
fully embody their characters as they grapple with some wild, but alarmingly realistic,
reactions to this doom-and-gloom news.
There are also quite a few things in the film that require a particularly keen eye to spot.
Let's take a closer look at some of the small details you might have missed in "Don't Look
Up."
But don't look any further if you haven't watched the film; there are spoilers ahead.
Few rooms have ever been as precisely recreated for the screen as the Oval Office.
This iconic centerpiece of the White House is a mainstay of political cinema, and that's
no exception in "Don't Look Up."
Sure, it takes Randall, Kate, and NASA career official Dr. Teddy Oglethorpe quite a while
to actually get an audience with President Orlean, but once they do take a seat in the
office, it's a familiar sight.
There are some specific details scattered throughout the film's Oval Office that you
might need to hit the pause button to catch.
President Orlean has clearly given it her own decorative spin, and her particular choices
are quite telling about her character.
Most prominently, you might notice a greenish hue to the curtains and other accessories
in the room.
This is a clear nod to President Orlean's preoccupation with money.
Her library in those iconic built-in shelves is also self-aggrandizing.
Instead of outfitting the space with some inspirational texts from the great minds of
the world, she's stocked the shelves with her own book, "How to Manage Your Money Even
When You Have None."
It should be no surprise, then, that when confronted with a potential cash grab, she
opts to put literally all of humanity in danger for the sake of her own greed.
"Let's bottom line this.
What's this gonna cost me, you know?
What's the ask here?"
Orlean has also chosen to line her office with the official portraits of presidents
with controversial histories.
She also has a photo of Dick Cheney on her desk.
It makes total sense in the film world, since they probably run in the same political circles,
but it's also a bit of a wink to McKay's own previous political dramedy, "Vice."
According to director Adam McKay, the theme of "Don't Look Up" is the sensible lead characters
taking an unexpected trip through Hades.
At least one of the choices of costume designer Susan Matheson reflects that concept.
President Orlean's fashion sense bounces between red, white, and blue, indicating her played-up
patriotism throughout the story.
And her chief of staff, who's also her son, carries a Birkin handbag as an indication
of their family's wealth – a prop suggestion that hilariously came from Jonah Hill himself.
Most tellingly, when our leads first meet her, she's cloaked in fiery red, indicating
their descent into a hellish world of madness.
Audiences may also notice that both Randall and Kate endure something of a fashion overhaul
themselves.
The no-nonsense Kate eventually puts away her casual sweaters and combat boots in favor
of some business-ready blouses and jackets in hopes of being taken more seriously.
Not that it makes any difference in the end, of course.
Meanwhile, after a lifetime spent observing far-away galaxies, Randall becomes something
of a star in his own right.
After impressing the co-hosts of "The Rip" with his on-air work and freshened-up look,
he becomes a mainstay of the screen scene.
His suits become far more refined and fitted as he makes his way from one media appearance
to another.
When he finally decides to give up the pointless limelight and head home to Michigan with the
proverbial hat in hand, he shifts back to his unassuming outerwear and plaids while
Kate returns to her own no-fuss knit sweaters.
As you watch "Don't Look Up," keep an eye out for small references to a pretty grim
concept: extinction.
Randall, Kate, and Dr. Oglethorpe might hold out hope to the bitter end for humanity to
overcome their apocalyptic obstacle, but there are signs scattered throughout the film that
they're all just as doomed as everyone else.
For example, when Randall and Kate first decide to turn to the media for help in spreading
their message, they pass by someone dressed as a dinosaur passing out flyers in the street.
You might also notice a polar bear with an umbrella precariously located in the liquor
store where Kate works.
Adam McKay wanted viewers to connect the comet with climate change, and visuals like this
do a lot to hammer that home.
These are just some of the visual nods to ultimate catastrophe sprinkled throughout
the action, so keep your eyes peeled for these and other dark clues that can be found in
the background.
Almost every actor in "Don't Look Up" goes through a bit of a physical transformation
to become their character.
Just look at Jennifer Lawrence's sharp bangs, red coif, and facial piercings as Kate.
Leonardo DiCaprio's Randall sports wild facial hair and Meryl Streep's President Orlean has
coiled locks and cat-eye glasses.
However, no one is quite as unrecognizable in their role as Mark Rylance is as tech mogul
Peter Isherwell.
Isherwell is an off-putting amalgamation of many figures from the tech industry's past
and present.
Costume designer Susan Matheson decided that since the character was poised to be anywhere
between 40 and 80 years old, so she wanted to maintain that ambiguity with fake teeth,
hair, and other body modifications available to a billionaire of his stature.
He's also fully committed to his profession, as indicated by his choice of sweater during
his big "Liif" presentation — a gray design that resembles an electronic switchboard.
"It also, seriously, schedules a therapy session with a nearby professional so we can make
sure these sad feelings never, ever, ever return."
"May I say something, Mr. Isherwell?"
"No."
In addition to creating a disarming physical look for the part, Rylance's demeanor also
manages to capture the hellish essence of the character, which was originally inspired
by the mythological character Charon, the ferryman who took souls down the river Styx
in Hades.
If he wasn't shudder-inducing enough with his talent for predicting people's behavior
with the swipe of a hand, his disarmingly droll delivery of Isherwell's most loaded
lines should do the trick.
One of the funniest bits in "Don't Look Up" involves the accidental accuracy of Isherwell's
algorithm machine.
Yes, his company, Bash, totally fails at the guessing game when it comes to how well their
drones will work at breaking apart a planet-killing comet, but one thing his machines do get exactly
right is the fate of President Orlean, even several thousand years ahead of her end.
Isherwell does misread the fate of another character in the film: Dr. Mindy.
During an argument over the Bash comet-busting bonanza, Isherwell cruelly tells Mindy that
his formulas are so sophisticated that he's already determined from data points that the
scientist will die alone.
Mindy's recent history might suggest Isherwell is right, since the astronomer left his wife
and children for the mostly uncaring TV personality Brie.
But Isherwell has forgotten a major factor in his equation.
Unlike Orlean, who goes right along with the predetermined trajectory that sees her abandon
her son and the planet she's doomed, only to become dinner for a giant bird, Mindy actually
cares about his family.
The title of "Don't Look Up" might refer to the final ridiculous controversy that befalls
mankind before the comet arrives, but the phrase also takes on another meaning in the
last few moments of the film.
Once it's clear that their work trying to inform the public is for naught, Randall,
Kate, and Dr. Oglethorpe meet with Yule and Dr. Mindy's family in Michigan, where they
turn off the news to enjoy one last supper together in peace.
Although they've spent most of their time together discussing the apocalypse ahead,
they all finally decide to look down, literally and figuratively.
During their final moments, instead of watching the sky like everyone else in the world, they
keep their eyes lowered so they can look at each other and talk about everything from
store-bought salmon to Mindy's obsession with home-ground coffee beans.
Despite months spent encouraging folks to look up, once they realize the futility of
that fight, they finally turn away from the sky and embrace distraction, just like everyone
else has been doing the whole time.
Thanks for watching.
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