Adam McKay

Performer

Adam McKay

Director in the Nutevio catalogue.

Born
17 April 1968
Age
58
Active
2004 — 2021
Known for
The Big Short, Don't Look Up, Vice
View filmography

The essay

Reading Adam McKay

Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.

Why this filmmaker matters

Adam McKay has 0 directed films in the Nutevio catalogue. Adam McKay (born April 17, 1968) is an American screenwriter, producer, and director. McKay began his career as a head writer for the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) from 1995 to 2001. After leaving SNL, McKay collaborated with comedian Will Ferrell on his comedy films Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), and The Other Guys (2010). Ferrell and McKay later co-wrote and co-produced numerous television series and films, with McKay himself co-producing their website, Funny or Die, through their company, Gary Sanchez Productions. Aside from working with Ferrell, McKay wrote and directed the satirical films The Big Short (2015), Vice (2018), and Don't Look Up (2021). McKay won an Academy Award, a BAFTA, and a Critics' Choice Award for adapting the screenplay of The Big Short. In 2019, McKay founded Hyperobject Industries, a production company. Description above from the Wikipedia article Adam McKay, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Signature style

The recognisable elements are rewatchability, visual style, originality. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same eye, re-tuned for different registers. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is staged.

Legacy

McKay set terms other filmmakers now work against: the structures, the pacing and the refusal to explain. Awards bodies have often been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.

Best known for

Catalogue work still being written up by our editors.

From the library

Complete credits

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Reference

Quick facts

Born
17 April 1968
Age
58
Active
2004 — 2021
Films directed
0
In the Nutevio catalogue
Known for
The Big Short, Don't Look Up, Vice
Directing score
6.7
Nutevio editorial metric
Collection appearances
0
Across the library
Films rated 8+
0

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