‘Don’t Look Up’ Creator Adam McKay Addresses Criticism Of Netflix Environmental Satire: “You’re Never Going To Make A Movie To Appeal To Everyone”

Max Goldbart
·2 min read
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Adam McKay has addressed criticism of Netflix’s environmental satire Don’t Look Up, stating that “you’re never going to make a movie to appeal to everyone” and praising its global popularity, which has seen the Leonardo DiCaprio pic move up to second in Netflix’s most-watched of all time.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today, McKay said: “Comedy 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.”

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He claimed a similar critical reaction would likely have happened if he’d chosen to make a “stark drama” or “dystopic picture” about the climate crisis, adding: “You’re never going to make a movie to appeal to everyone.”

The film, which also stars Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Cate Blanchett, has been met with mixed reviews by critics and caused fiery debate across social media about how best to represent the climate crisis.

“The idea behind it was ‘How do we get this urgency out there?’,” McKay went on to say. “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.”

The pic has been a huge ratings success, however, now sitting second on Netflix’s all-time most-watched list and first in 87 countries, which McKay said is “very unusual for a comedy.”

Next up for McKay is AppleTV+’s Jennifer Lawrence-starring Bad Blood, in which she plays disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, who was found guilty earlier this month on four counts of defrauding investors.

McKay described Holmes as a “fascinating character” and said it is rare for a woman to be the subject of such a film.

“She hasn’t been sentenced yet so I’m curious to see how that goes,” he added.

Separately, Amanda Seyfried is playing Holmes in a Hulu limited series.

Questioned on his best movie, McKay, who has also made Vice and The Big Short and is involved with Succession, said he will “always have a fondness” for Anchorman, the pic that kickstarted his career and led to a long and fruitful relationship with Will Ferrell.

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