Since its release, Don’t Look Up has been a polarizing film for audiences and critics alike, with many slamming the film for being too on-the-nose in satirizing the political culture around climate change and the response to COVID-19.
Despite the mixed response, Don’t Look Up boasts some entertaining performances by A-list actors as well as some impressive and memorable comedy. Regardless of the film's flaws, it’s hard not to concede that it contains some of Adam Mackay's best and funniest dialogue.
When Peter Isherwell Reflected On His Product's UX
"Are you sure the video of the puppy on the rooster is optimizing our prepubescent sense memory consumer sector? I find the bird quite threatening."
Peter Isherwell, the unsettlingly out-of-touch billionaire, is presented as truly weird and somewhat pathetic in this hilarious line that indicates he may actually find a cute image of a chicken and a puppy scary. The thought of him as threatened by a rooster also comedically contrasts with his actions as he ends up being essentially responsible for humankind’s extinction due to his own greed. The line is not just funny, but also outlines how unnervingly little he understands about human emotion, which parallels many people’s observations about how removed from the average person’s experience real-life billionaires are.
When Phillip Defended His Mother To Kate
"She asked you if you were a lesbian. She did not say that you were a lesbian. It was a question."
Phillip, Kate Dibiasky’s partner throughout the first act of Don’t Look Up, isn’t winning any boyfriend of the year awards. Even before he breaks up with the astronomer by publishing a degrading article about dating her, Phillip is dismissive of Kate’s valid stress and trips over himself defending his mother’s inappropriate comments rather than side with his own girlfriend or stand up to his mom for her impolite and narrow-minded remark. While this is rude to Kate, it’s always funny to hear someone defend their bad behavior so weakly.
When Kate Set Scheduling Priorities
"Can I sit down to have lunch with your mom in, like, seven months?"
As the lead and one of the most direct and likable characters in Don’t Look Up, Kate has some of the funniest lines. In this scene, she agrees to spend time with Phillip’s rude mother in seven months after finding out that everyone in the world is going to die in six months. The sharp comment is made funniest because it lands only with the audience, not the unsuspecting Phillip, who does not yet know about the comet heading for Earth.
When Riley Bina Sang Live On Stage
“Get your head out of your ass. Listen to the goddamned qualified scientists.”
This line is sung in by Riley Bina’s character, played by Ariana Grande, just one of the many big-name stars in the Don’t Look Up Cast. It's blunt and crude but almost easy to miss because Bina sings it so sincerely to her audience of thousands.
This character is mostly sweet, if a little ditsy, so it's satisfying to see her so directly call out stupidity through this lyric. The fact that it is delivered by Grande is a bonus.
When Brie Evantee Wasn't A Doctor
"A spoonful of Xanax makes the medicine go down, right?"
While this Brie Evantee line is somewhat depressing, as she is deflecting from focusing on the extremely pressing issue that the world is ending while simultaneously making light of mental health issues, it’s funny that, despite being so smart, she overtly promotes willful ignorance to real-world problems by dealing with them like a mental illness rather than acknowledging them. Her inability to see this is slightly infuriating, but that's what makes it such a great line.
When Jason Orlean Felt Spiritual About Stuff
"There's dope stuff, like material stuff, like sick apartments and watches and cars, um, and clothes and shit that could all go away. And I don't want to see that stuff go away. So I'm going to say a prayer for that stuff. Amen."
It’s first and foremost the pure absurdity of this quote that makes viewers laugh at Jason Orlean for not being able to find value in anything other than worldly possessions before initiating a launch for the purposes of making a lot of money (despite it being likely that the same launch will doom Earth and its inhabitants). But what also makes this Don't Look Up quote so funny is the contrast to the profound and hopeful statement made earlier by DiCaprio’s character, Dr. Mindy, prior to the first launch that was much more likely to actually save the planet.
When Dr. Mindy Was Smart About Finances
"What do these trillions of dollars matter if we're all going to die with the impact of this comet?"
With this simple question, Dr. Mindy says what the audience is thinking and highlights the absurdity of prioritizing money over one's own life, not to mention the lives of everyone else on the planet. Dr. Mindy is generally a timid character, so it’s surprising but satisfying when he stands up for the people of Earth at this moment. This simple line also works to breaks the tension in the room and comically acknowledges the futility of greed during times of emergency. At the same time, it highlights the empathy of his character in contrast to the selfishness of the characters surrounding him.
When Kate Was Expressed Her Feelings About The End Of The World
"I’m not on a diet. I’m just crying five times a day."
This comment is in reference to the fact that Kate is using an app made for counting down the time left on a diet as a timer for when a gigantic asteroid will collide with the Earth and end the lives of every living being.
This amusing line is part of a response to Dr. Mindy’s question as to when she did the “calculations” for the impact of the comet. As if the simplicity of punching the numbers into a diet app could be equivalent to an astronomical calculation. The line also doubles as a relatable joke about diets and how depressing it feels to be on a diet.
When Yule Had An Important Question
"Dr. Mindy, can I be vulnerable in your car?"
Yule asks this question as the world is ending, when Dr. Mindy is driving Kate and Yule to the grocery store for ingredients to make their last meal on Earth. The absurdity of the question makes the comment funny both because it is so bizarre to ask for permission to express emotions and to be concerned about a social convention such as politeness when death is imminent. It’s also amusing because it happens right before Yule essentially proposes to Kate, a gesture that is centered around planning for a future, right as the planet is about to be destroyed. Ultimately, the line speaks to how sweet and innocent Yule is.
When Kate Found Out The Snacks In The White House Are, In Fact, Free
"The snacks are free."
This comment turns into one of the funniest running gags throughout Don’t Look Up. Kate is baffled that a Pentagon general would charge $10 for snacks that are meant to be free.
Jennifer Lawrence’s performance is what makes this comment especially hilarious. She perfectly communicates her complete bewilderment that the official would lie for seemingly no reason. The joke works especially well as a darkly hilarious parallel to the meaningless greed satirized throughout the film.