Adam Mckay’s latest disaster comedy Don’t Look Up released on Netflix on December 24th, 2021, and has garnered a divisive response. However, fans have noticed a weird connection between the film and a phone sex hotline number that has now sparked a major conversation around the film.
In his scathingly satirical portrait of the current predicament of modern man in the wake of a global cataclysmic event, McKay not so subtly references various real-life events and characters, making the film even more gripping.
With a star-studded ensemble cast, namely Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill, Timothee Chalamet, Meryl Streep, Mark Rylance, Rob Morgan, Ron Pearlman, Tyler Perry, Kid Cudi, Ariana Grande and more, the filmmaker cleverly infuses dark humour in this allegorical take on the current climate change crisis that pervades the world.
In the film, as the world finds itself staggering towards a bleak and uncertain reality, quarrelling over whether the approaching comet will indeed see the end of humanity, a narrator can be heard saying “Call 1-800-532-4500 for peace of mind. Offer only available to BASH customers. Details of your call may be shared with other subsidiaries to enhance your future customer experience. Data and roaming charges apply.”
Mark Rylance plays Isherwell, a ditzy yet calculative tech mercenary whose company BASH is supposedly creating drones that can crumble the comet into smaller pieces that can be put to commercial use.
Viewers tried calling the stress prevention hotline to find themselves being connected to “a Hot Singles in Your Area phone number”. The audience has taken to Twitter to express their crazy reactions regarding the same.
While it is not clear whether it was a coincidence or an evil prank, this is not the first time a Netflix production has used a real number. Previously, Hwang Dong-hyuk’s Korean series Squid Game found itself in quite the soup after including a real number in the first episode.