Here's the interesting thing about Leonardo DiCaprio's career - Your favorite movie of his is likely tied to when you were at your most impressionable. I'll explain.
For many, their hearts will always go on for his performance as Jack in Titanic. For other, later fans, it might be Inception, The Revenant, or Django Unchained when they first fell in love with Leo. But for me (and here's the weird thing), my favorite film of his came quite a bit later in my life.
That's because my favorite Leonardo DiCaprio movie is 2021's Don't Look Up. I know it's not the most conventional, or even the most beloved–we gave it a pretty low review at the time–pick for a favorite film of his, but I still love it, and here's why.
When Do We Ever Get To See DiCaprio Play A Bumbling Character This Far In His Career?
Leonardo DiCaprio has a pretty wide range. He played an individual with an intellectual disability in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, an ex-revolutionary in the recent One Battle After Another, a conniving stockbroker in The Wolf of Wall Street, and a dream thief in Inception. What range!
However, how often do we get to see a less-than-confident Leo playing a scientist? Not only that, but how often - nowadays, anyway - do we see a Leo who nobody takes seriously, even though he's one of the smartest people in the room? Let me tell you. As someone who has seen almost every single Leonardo DiCaprio movie (Celebrity has somehow escaped me), I can tell you that this is a Leo I haven't seen in any other film.
And I LIKE this Leo. Yes, the character lets celebrity (no pun intended) get to his head, and he's unfaithful to his wife, but this is such a different turn for DiCaprio that it's one that I kind of cherish.
Some of my all-time favorite performances of his come from Martin Scorsese films (namely Killers of the Flower Moon, where he plays another less-than-capable man), but this is still my favorite performance of his because it’s just so…goofy! Which brings me to my next point.
The Story Is A Comedy, But There's A Lot Of Truth To It
In our original review of the film, we noted that it’s a satire, and that satire “is really hard,” given the current state of things (and listen, I'll keep this article as apolitical as possible). Even so, there’s still a lot of truth to this comedy from 2021, especially now that A.I. has become such a major part of our lives. It’s to the point where we're no longer sure what we can trust, and now we might form opinions based on things that may not even be real.
In the film, Jennifer Lawrence's character, Kate Dibiasky, finds a comet heading toward Earth, and her advisor, Dr. Randall Mindy (DiCaprio), confirms that, yeah, we’re screwed. They try to warn people, going all the way up to the President, played by Meryl Streep, but everybody downplays the incoming doom, choosing rather not to look up at the comet (hence the title).
Now, even though the events that follow are funny (I think so, at least), there’s a lot of truth to the general population choosing to ignore the truth, since the truth can be scary. Though this post-pandemic film was more of a commentary on climate change, I think the same could apply to our current march toward A.I.
Humanity is on the brink of something that will likely change the world forever, and instead of heeding the warnings (I mean, entertainment has been trying to tell us what will happen if we give A.I. control for years), we're instead laughing at obviously fake videos of Pikachu in Star Wars. So, yeah, this movie is still relevant!
It's Also Got An All-Star Cast Outside Of DiCaprio
Would this film be as memorable without its all-star cast? Probably not, which is why I'm glad that it has it. Outside of the aforementioned DiCaprio, Lawrence, and Streep, it also stars Jonah Hill, Cate Blanchett, Timothee Chalamet, Tyler Perry, and so many more! I mean, Ariana Grande is in this movie because…well, why not? She plays a pop star in the film, so you know, fitting.
What’s great about this film is that all of the characters are willing to play doofuses, and they’re all really funny. I especially like Mark Rylance, who plays a mix of Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. He’s really spacey, and yet, the President thinks he has the best plans because he’s rich, which, again, I’m trying not to be political here, but I think he plays a character who doesn’t feel too far removed from people who might actually exist.
Plus, the great thing is that all of the actors have their moment to shine. Michael Chiklis is in the film as a host of a partisan political show, and it’s not the biggest role in the world, but he makes it count. The same goes for Kid Cudi, who becomes attached to Grande’s pop star character. It’s not a big part, but a memorable one.
They’re all, in fact, memorable, making this one of the better ensemble films that I can think of.
It Never Takes Itself Seriously, Unlike Most Of DiCaprio's Other Films
Do you know what Leonardo DiCaprio movie I want to like, but don’t? The Revenant. Yes, I know. It is the movie for which he won his Best Actor trophy, and I think Leo does an excellent job in it. That said, it’s just too hard to watch for me. I mean, there’s no levity whatsoever in the film, and barely any hope. For some films, I can take that, but for this one, I just feel like it’s too serious for its own good.
The same goes for Revolutionary Road. I mean, I actually do like that film, and quite a bit, but it’s just so dang serious. I much prefer tonally lighter fare for Leo, like Django Unchained (Yes, a movie about slavery), Catch Me If You Can, or Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. In other words, I like serious films that might not take themselves too seriously. That’s when I most enjoy Leo in.
Well, Don’t Look Up is full-on silly. The world is going to be obliterated, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously, which makes sense since Adam McKay of Step Brothers and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy fame directed it. But, unlike those aforementioned films, which are pure comedies, Don’t Look Up shares more in common with Vice or The Big Short in that it feels like it has something to say.
Which might be why it was up for film’s highest honor at the Academy Awards, which I’ll get into last.
It Got Nominated For Best Picture For A Reason!
Now, a lot of people may say that 2022 was one of the weaker years for the Academy Awards, and that’s fine. One of the weaker PTA films, Licorice Pizza (which I’ve come to now like), was up for Best Picture, and CODA, while a good film with lots of great inclusion, actually won Best Picture.
Okay, maybe it wasn’t as stacked a year as 2026 will likely be for contenders. Even so, Don’t Look Up was up for Best Picture, and I think it deserved the nom.
One, it’s funny. Two, it’s still topical. And three, it has a lot of great performances, making it my favorite Leonardo DiCaprio movie.
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