IMDb meta-data is a runtime of 2h and 18m, rated 7.1 by 672,000 cinematizens.
Genre: Dramedy.
DNA: Hollywood.
Verdict: Reality.
Tagline: A comedy about the end of the world.
The snobbery begins with the IMDb summary that reads ‘Two low level astronomers….’ discover the planet-killing asteroid is on course for the apocalypse. The unmistakable implication is that had they been higher level, i.e., from Cal Tech or Harvard rather than Michigan State, things might have been different.
What follows is a two lane satire, the first about the US media and the second about public opinion. Everything becomes a matter of opinion, and facts have no weight in this domain.
There are no votes (or graft) in death, accordingly no one in Washington wants to hear the news of the low-level astronomers. Desperate, they go to the media, where the cannibals descend on them for a repast. Both the sensation hungry media and the public it has trained to salivate are more interested in the coupling of the couple de jour than the coming disaster.
The Impact Deniers gain sway. Who wants that much bad news anyway? Although a business man sees profit in catastrophe and sets out to harvest it.
It is all a metaphor for climate change of course, but the hand is so heavy it becomes boring and predicable. Cutting 45m (all of the Musk clone) would have sharpened the stick. The star power of the mismatched leads cannot save it from the mute button. But I would welcome a President Streep especially since she forgets her own son in a crisis.
The last comedy about the end of the world I saw was Moon Man (2022) from China. It is discussed elsewhere on the blog. Click on for a comparison. i know which was more fun to watch, and less predictable.