With absurdist gems like Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and Step Brothers, Adam McKay became one of the most acclaimed comedy filmmakers in the world: a 21st-century Mel Brooks or David Zucker, basking in off-the-wall, anything-goes silliness and cramming as many jokes as possible into each scene. When the director parted ways with go-to leading man Will Ferrell, his career took an awards-baiting turn with fact-based dramas like The Big Short and Vice.