ENTERTAINMENT

The sky is falling — no, really! A doctoral candidate (Lawrence) and her astronomy professor (DiCaprio) go on a media tour to warn mankind about an approaching comet that will destroy Earth. But is anybody paying enough attention? Or are they too invested in news like the roller-coaster relationship between a pop star (Ariana Grande) and rapper DJ Chello (Scott Mescudi) to care? Even U.S. President Orlean (Streep) isn’t overly concerned — until she discovers she can use the extinction event to distract from her own scandals. Director Adam McKay’s satire is star-studded but scattershot. DiCaprio is effectively awkward as an idealistic scientist seduced by the spotlight; Lawrence is a master of on-screen exasperation. But while intermittently amusing as it skewers the media, this metaphorical climate-change comedy isn’t that funny. But maybe that’s part of the point. After all, the end of the world is no laughing matter.