Adam McKay

Broad Will Ferrell comedies came first; then McKay aimed the same jokes at American finance and politics. The Other Guys follows two desk-bound New York detectives who finally land a real case. The Big Short tells the mortgage crisis through the investors who saw it coming, with celebrities stepping out of the story to explain the jargon. In Don't Look Up, two astronomers try to warn the world about a comet.

Signature

• Improvised comedy with Will Ferrell (The Other Guys).
• Satire of Wall Street and the media.
• Fourth-wall breaks and explainer cutaways (The Big Short).
• Political allegory (Don't Look Up).