Director of Don’t Look Up, Adam McKay, has responded to critics of his hit Netflix original film in a recent interview saying you can’t make a movie that “appeals to everyone.”
The director of the Oscar-nominated film The Big Short spoke with BBC Radio 4 about his recent Netflix exclusive release and the reception to his star-studded film.
“You’re never going to make a movie to appeal to everyone,” the director told BBC Radio 4’s Today program. Continuing that “[C]omedy is always subjective. Certain people are going to think things are too funny or silly or not care for them so that’s built in.”
The film attempts to balance the social commentary of the current raging debates about climate change and impending climate crisis with a suitably Adam McKay-style of comedy. The director spoke further on the challenges of making the threat feel real and urgent while attempting that aforementioned balance.
“The science is telling us that the problem is happening right now, and it’s far worse than we thought. I felt like laughter was a good way to go because if you’re laughing, then you inherently have some perspective.” Audiences have responded better compared to critics, with the Rotten Tomatoes critical score at 55% approval, while the audience score is at 78%.
Attempting to make films about climate change or ones with allegories about climate change has proven difficult. The fine line between preachy and astute is tough to follow, and the most popular one before Don’t Look Up was Roland Emmerich’s The Day After Tomorrow from 2004.
McKay’s ensemble cast included the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, and Jennifer Lawrence, who were huge gets for the Netflix film. It is currently the second-biggest film of all time on the streaming service and is remaining in public conversation.
Jennifer Lawrence will reunite with Adam McKay for another streaming exclusive movie, this time for Bad Blood on Apple TV, and will focus on former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, who was found guilty of defrauding investors.
Don’t Look Up is currently available to stream on Netflix.
