Don’t Look Up

Don’t Look Up

Year: 2009

Runtime: 98 mins

Language: English

Director: Fruit Chan

Horror

Lights. Camera. Terror. While filming in Transylvania, a crew unearths celluloid images of a woman’s murder and unleashes the wrath of evil spirits.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Don’t Look Up (2009)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Don’t Look Up (2009). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Early 2020s

The narrative unfolds in a contemporary United States setting, roughly over six months from discovery to potential extinction. It mirrors present-day media cycles, political maneuvering, and public discourse shaped by social platforms and influential donors.

Location

White House, Washington, D.C.; Michigan State University, East Lansing; Illinois; Chile coast

Set across major US sites, including the White House in Washington, D.C., and academic settings at Michigan State University in East Lansing. The story also traverses Illinois and the Chilean coast where the comet impact is anticipated and observed. These locations anchor a satirical drama about power, science, and global consequences spanning a short, intense slice of contemporary life.

🏛️ Political centers 🗺️ United States locations ⏳ Contemporary timeline

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:06

Main Characters – Don’t Look Up (2009)

Meet the key characters of Don’t Look Up (2009), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence)

A brilliant astronomy PhD candidate whose commitment to science pressures her to speak out against denial. She remains principled and outspoken, even as she faces public scrutiny and personal cost. Her arc centers on the ethical stakes of scientific integrity in a fractured political landscape.

🧪 Scientist 🧭 Relentless 🧠 Idealist

Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio)

An astronomy professor who blends credibility with a pragmatic approach to public communication. He navigates political pressure, media scrutiny, and complex personal relationships while trying to avert disaster. His character embodies the friction between expertise and public persuasion.

🧠 Scientist 💬 Communicator 🗺️ Pragmatist

Janie Orlean (Meryl Streep)

The President whose priorities shift with political risk and donor influence. She represents leadership compromised by the demands of power and public opinion, illustrating how governance can bend under pressure and distraction. Her choices reveal the fragility of institutional response in a crisis.

👑 Leader 💰 Elite 🧭 Calculating

Jason Orlean (Jonah Hill)

The Chief of Staff who manages political theater and messaging. He embodies the administration’s strategic manipulation of information, balancing optics with realpolitik. His role underscores how political machines shape public perception during a crisis.

🏛️ Administrator 💬 Spokesperson 💼 Strategist

Peter Isherwell (Mark Rylance)

A tech magnate whose wealth drives a plan to monetize the comet's resources. He personifies the collision between innovation and opportunism, showing how profit motives can override ethical constraints. His influence destabilizes traditional scientific and political processes.

💼 Magnate 🧠 Innovator 💰 Opportunist

Brie Evantee (Ariana Grande)

A charismatic television host who becomes a public-facing figure amid the crisis. She embodies media glamour and sensationalism, shaping public perception through entertainment. Her presence demonstrates how media personalities influence political narratives.

🎤 Host 🗣️ Media-savvy 🤝 Influencer

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:06

Major Themes – Don’t Look Up (2009)

Explore the central themes of Don’t Look Up (2009), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🧪 Science vs Politics

Scientific warning about an extinction-level threat clashes with political calculations and donor influence. Scientists face bureaucratic inertia, media misrepresentation, and competing agendas as they try to convince a skeptical public. The tension exposes the fragility of truth when power prioritizes optics over accuracy.

🗞️ Media & Public Discourse

News media and social platforms distort critical information, turning complex science into sensational soundbites and memes. Public attention wavers with ratings and controversy, while experts are discounted or sidelined. The film critiques how information can be manipulated or neglected when it inconveniently upends the status quo.

💰 Greed & Power

Wealth and corporate interests steer decisions toward profit rather than survival. The plot reveals how monetization and political clout can override ethical considerations and urgent scientific guidance. This pursuit accelerates the crisis rather than averting it, highlighting a systemic failure to prioritize humanity.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:06

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Don’t Look Up Summary

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Don’t Look Up Summary

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Don’t Look Up Timeline

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Don’t Look Up Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Don’t Look Up

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