RREVIEW: ‘Death to 2020,’ – When all you can do is laugh.

Death to 2020 is a mockumentary Netflix original movie starring Samuel L. Jackson, Hugh Grant, and Lisa Kudrow and narrated by Laurence Fishburne. As we rapidly grow into the year that is 2021, it is hard for many of us to look back at the year that was. A pandemic, massive social upheaval, a government that largely ignored both, and an election here in America that might have lasted a week, or possibly a decade. And those were just the biggest hits on 2020’s soundtrack. But, when things get their darkest, it is said that sometimes all you can do is laugh. For the people who believe that sentiment, we have Death to 2020.

The first thing we have to talk about when we look at a comedic take on the year that was 2020 is tone. A lot of bad stuff happened in 2020. A lot of serious stuff that isn’t what one should make mock. Happily, despite all the laughs I got out of it’s slightly over one hour run time, I never felt like the movie was making light of the events themselves. But rather, they focused their satirical guns on those involved that, through their actions, or lack thereof, made the situations that consumed 2020 all the worse.

With this approach, Death to 2020 felt therapeutic in a way. It was the kind of humor you hear in a group chat with friends while venting your frustrations about the fact that so many people haven’t taken COVID-19 seriously enough, so you have to be in a group chat with friends.

The movie analyzes its subject matter through the lens of several guests that each give their own opinion on the year’s events. From the knowledgeable reporter(Jackson) to a conservative historian(Grant) and even a supposed Trump campaign official(Kudrow). These, and others, are used to shine a hard but humorous light on just how bizarre, and often pathetic, the events of 2020 became.

While the above performances are great, I felt the best interactions came from a couple of interviewees playing average white Americans. With one playing the woke internet influencer, convinced he’s making a difference when he’s really doing nothing, and the second portraying what 2020 has labeled a “Karen.”

This suburban mom, played by Cristin Milioti, nails every insufferable instance of the type we all endured throughout the year. From demanding proof from Black people that they belong where they are to ranting about how her Facebook group is the only source of honest news, she hits every neurotic interaction in a way that perfectly blends the horror and insanity of the concepts she embodies.

While overall, I laughed at the satire present in Death to 2020, it isn’t without its faults. A moment of fat-shaming of President Trump, along with some name-calling that can be viewed as hurtful toward certain groups of disabled people, mire this otherwise hilarious experience. With everything that there was to poke fun at in 2020, body shaming and archaic terminology feel as unnecessary as they are crude.

When all is said, and Death to 2020 delivers a humorous yet honest look at the year that was. While it delivers its content in the tone of a joke, it never belittles the problems that rocked the year that was, or that will continue to face us in this year and likely the future.

Death to 2020 is streaming now on Netflix.

Charles Hartford

Lifelong geek who enjoys comics, video games, movies, reading and board games . Over the past year I’ve taken a more active interest in artistic pursuits including digital painting, and now writing.
I look forward to growing as a writer and bettering my craft in my time here!