Don't Look Up · written by Adam McKay · 2021

Orlean apologizes and announces action, while Kate confronts her about opportunistically responding to the scandal and Calder agrees to resign.

Scene 72 of 205 · ≈ 2 min on screen · Act two

Midpoint
Save the Cat: Midpoint
President Orlean
Jason
Randall
Kate
Dr. Oglethorpe
Dr. Calder

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 54 min into a 2:06 film

The story so farBefore scene 72

After PhD candidate Kate Dibiasky discovers a comet on a direct collision course with Earth, she and Professor Randall Mindy try to persuade a politically distracted President, a media-saturated public, and a powerful technology company to stop it before impact.

Scenes 1–7
Kate and Randall work within the familiar routine of astronomy and university research.
Scenes 8–26
They discover the impact deadline and need the government and public to respond, but Orlean refuses immediate action.
Scenes 27–60
Kate and Oglethorpe take the warning outside official channels, entering the press and television world to reach the public.
Just before
Scene 69
Under a hood in a sedan, Kate curses the agents transporting her.
Scene 70
The screenplay marks the White House exterior six hours later, at night; no characters or action appear in this scene.
Scene 71
Kate, Randall, and Oglethorpe wait outside the Oval Office as Jason calls them inside.
Scene 72
This scene

72INT. OVAL OFFICE - TEN MINUTES LATER

President Orlean and Jason speak to Randall, Teddy and Kate. Dr. Calder is also there.

PRESIDENT ORLEAN

I think it was Winston Churchill,

or maybe it was Bobby Knight, who

said the great labor of leadership

Look there are times as a leader is

to lay down ones yolk of pride and

admit, that mistakes were made.

She exhales a plume of smoke and dies out a cigarette.

JASON

You were deceived, as was I, but

the end result was, we had our

scientists who went to the

prestigious schools of Harvard and

Princeton and... they confirmed the

data. So we would like to offer you

a Presidential apology.

RANDALL

Really?

JASON

And we are fully prepared to

mobilize in an historic fashion to

save this planet.

Randall and Oglethorpe look to each other and let out a huge sigh a huge relief. Everyone is celebrating.

KATE

So basically, what you’re saying is-

DR. OGLETHORPE

Hey. There’s no need. We all get-

KATE

- you’re about to lose the midterms

because you got caught sending

pictures of your cooch to your porn

star Sheriff and now suddenly it’s

to your advantage to act on the

comet?

Beat.

PRESIDENT ORLEAN

(mocking)

Right...

KATE

(big exhale)

Ok.

Ok, I’m just so relieved that you

guys are finally doing

something...This has been really

really hard.

RANDALL