Ah, I remember Adam McKay films like it was yesterday, I mean if you've watched Anchorman, The Other Guys, Step Brothers, and Tallageda Nights, you have good taste in comedy films at that point. Like you've established pickings for the absurd and nonsensical stuff.
This film is something like that. Except after directing The Big Short, he wanted a film that encapsulated the comedy he's known for and putting all the eggs in a political satire. Was this film funny? Absolutely. Was this a fun watch, through and through? Not sure about that.
Idea Inception
David Sirota came to Adam McKay to direct a climate change movie, using the crazy wits and humor of the known comedic director himself. That idea shifted to a story about satirizing how news media work. Yeah, I feel like they could have done a lot more than that.
With Leonardo DiCaprio's involvement, the film was going to rather focus on how current society responds to tragic events such as a comet hitting Earth. Which I believe would be an interesting premise, but this isn't any Alejandro González Iñárritu project. The mad genius behind the teleprompter joke is behind this film.
So how is it that a film that has a premise, that even I and a few people that I know of, can fill to the brim with crazy ideas, manage to feel underwhelming with such interesting concepts?
If you have heard about its critical reception, chances of you liking this movie will be pretty split and that's thanks to a number of inconsistencies and the fact that I zoned out of the plot, just wanting to see more funny stuff. I could care less about the social commentary and environmental messages(or lack thereof) because there are things that felt off about this film.
It's Funny Till It's Not
I like how the first minutes of this film just had me rolling in anxiety, because I did start to relate to the two protagonists, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence. They played their roles well, in fact, I never expected either of them to have comedic chops and they pulled it off here.
You are instantly sold on the fact most of the people they will interact with, from the talk show hosts to the president(played by Meryl Streep, with Jonah Hill playing her terrible son) and the staff themselves, are Looney Tune characters. They have no grounding and basis in reality. One of the most highly decorated generals, in the white house, charges guests of the president money for food that is free in the white house. You couldn't make a better Trump presidency joke than that, I laughed so hard and the best part of it is that it becomes a recurring gag through the runtime.
A saw a review from YouTube, drawing similarities to Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove. That kind of idea and inspiration was found here, definitely. Would have worked work if it wasn't for the tonal inconsistencies, this occurs when loses its focus and energy, and keeps using jokes that kind of border on pandering.
Frankly speaking, I wish the film stayed more of a comedy than it did as a political film. Don't be Stanley Kubrick McKay, I can understand where you would be taking this film after The Big Short. But it's clear as day would have been more funny, if there was much more funny stuff there. That wasn't overtaken by tonal inconsistencies.
I really did wanted to like this film, I just never cared about the comet much. Maybe a little bit, that's thanks to the leading cast. But the movie asks you to think too much, and that is how you've lost me.
Idiocracy juxtaposes political commentary and satire very well. The former was much more subtle about it. That film understood that it needed to be less serious in order to be more entertaining because you can't make a film that takes itself way too seriously after doing the other thing that offsets it.
Some of the other complains I have is how the other characters feel underwhelming or less used than they could have been. I did not like Mark Rylance's character at all, he reused his roles from prior movies in a derivative fashion. He owns both Tesla and Apple, all in one company. I didn't understand what person he was satirizing on. Cate Blanchett could have been so much more, her presence here felt kind of wasted.
The comedy, sadly enough while it is good, doesn't evoke the same energy that all the films I've mentioned awhile ago, does. Like Anchorman or Other Guys. I mean if you could evolve that comedy to something a bit more serious, would have worked if you've made the film work with it. It didn't.
I think you can watch it for the comedy. Just relax, turn your brain off, and bask in the stupidity the film presents. You shouldn't take anybody seriously, the actors here even, most of them highly prolific, are trying to have fun.
The film's narrative needed another look into.
