A semi-dissertation. . . Uh,heyy, somebody asked. . L
EEK! Forgive the incoherent title. I tried to edit and, of course, cannot. That is a TOTV flaw— titles get obvious mistakes that can never be fixed once submit is hit. Oh well, onward with my dissertation:
I think I must have cut my teeth on satire. And I know I was in the 4th grade when I started spending part of my 50 cents a week allowance on MAD magazine. For as long as I can remember, I have been reading between the lines. Sometimes that’s a gift. Sometimes, a curse. Don’t Look Up tapped into that thing I have — and sometimes wish I did not.
I liked the movie. As satire goes, it had a lot of on-target moments — like when the man astronomer gets not only the comet by the tail — but also gets the tuned-in-to-only-screens world by the tail, along with plenty of other tail and all that entails, too. . .
Meanwhile, the woman astronomer (who discovered the comet) and the Black man astronomer get shut up and locked up in a room and grabbed and carried off in cars, with hoods over their heads.
The woman astronomer is treated as hysterical, crazy — just like intelligent women in a “man’s world” have often been treated throughout history, sometimes being hauled off to asylums when they lost their tempers because their ideas were not being heard and respected. (There was an architect whose true story is in the book Devil in the White City who was an example of that happening to a brilliant woman — to an asylum she went.) The movie subtly echoed those times — which are actually sometimes still with us, although in a slightly different form than hauling off to an asylum.
The most direct hit of the satire for me was on the shallowness of the general population of the country — all about stuff and idolizing famous people and entertainment and thinking real connections are contained in their constant screens.
Of course, there was the political satire, but it was more than that. . .satire everywhere.
Some of it just plain funny, in little ways, like what sure looked like it had to be terrible-bad extensions attached to Meryl Streep’s hair — those ubiquitous, long ringlets that I cannot help but think I can spot on almost every “weather-girl” on local television, always right in front of the ears and attached up under their real hair. They always look the same.
But there was definitely heavier satire — there were the vile creatures being put in positions of power — the pervs and the stupid, along with the purely selfish and evil, masters of manipulation. . .but wait! That part was more like a documentary than a satire.
Some of it was overly cartoonish and it was a little long, could have used an edit of a few minutes, but. . .
(Spoiler alert ahead)
I give very high marks to the ending scene at the dinner table with people actually talking to people they loved in normal, everyday conversation, and to the skateboarder’s beautiful prayer — and to DiCaprio’s line, “We really had it all, didn’t we.” (Rhetorical question worded in past tense.) I would have ended it with those words. . .
But I guess modern audiences needed that next ending with the other world that gets Meryl Streep — who, as President, had always had nothing but contempt for the American people — and the ones for whom she had the most contempt were those who blindly followed her.
There is a lot more to talk about in this movie, despite its few shortcomings, but I think I will shut up now.
Boomer
PS: Btw, thank you Chi, on your word, earlier in this thread, I will go back and catch the third ending. That same writer/director did that with Vice, too.
PPS: Anybody who wants to watch a satire that will make you laugh and even feel nostalgic, watch Alpha House. I think it is on Amazon. Ah, those were the days, my friends, 2013. (sigh)
. . .and now I really must shut up. . .
Last edited by Boomer; 01-03-2022 at 08:35 PM.
Reason: Needed a good proofreading, still does but must stop
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