Adam McKay names the five most underrated movies of all time
American director Adam McKay has garnered a solid reputation as a politically conscious filmmaker in the current landscape, known for projects like The Big Short and Don’t Look Up. Moving away from the goofy brand of comedies like Anchorman and Talladega Nights that contributed to his success, McKay’s recent efforts have become an integral part of the mainstream discourse about subjects like late stage capitalism and climate change.
Currently, McKay is working on a brand new political satire titled Average Height, Average Build, which is going to revolve around the activities of a serial killer. Including Robert Pattinson and Amy Adams, some big names have already been attached to the upcoming Netflix film. Although McKay has risen to the top of the industry, he still has a lot of films that exist at the margins and are only seen by a handful of dedicated cinephiles.
During a conversation with AFrame, McKay named the movies he considers to be the most underrated of all time. He began: “The Interrupters is one of the most emotional, stirring documentaries I’ve ever seen. It shows a portrait of the street-level violence that afflicts our country in a way that I’ve never experienced before. I remember when it came out, I was like, ‘Oh, this is the biggest documentary of the year.’ And somehow, it got brushed aside.”
The director also included Mail Order Wife in his list: “One of my favourite comedies ever made by a guy named Andrew Gurland, who has done a bunch of different stuff. Andrew is a really interesting filmmaker. He’s done horror movies. He did a movie for Gary Sanchez [McKay’s production company] called The Virginity Hit, which, despite the title, is really good. His whole thing is he replicates the documentary style, but he does it through a comedy lens.”
McKay added: “Silent Running is just way ahead of its time. It’s an environmental film. It’s beautiful, it’s heartbreaking, and it’s a movie that’s more relevant now as we stare down the collapse of the livable climate. Thinking about it right now, I get emotional. You watch Silent Running, and you can tell it was the first awakenings of an environmental movement. It’s a beautiful, beautiful film that I never hear talked about.”
Check out the full list below.
Adam McKay picks five underrated movies:
- The Interrupters (Steve James, 2011)
- Mail Order Wife (Andrew Gurland and Huck Botko, 2004)
- Silent Running (Douglas Trumbull, 1972)
- Creep (Christopher Smith, 2004)
- Get on the Bus (Spike Lee, 1996)
When directors talk about the films they consider to be the most underrated, it’s always interesting because obscure titles benefit from the exposure created by their enormous platforms. Alongside the lesser-known filmmakers on the list, McKay decided to highlight the brilliance of a director who needs no introduction: Spike Lee.
“We all talk about the great Spike Lee movies, but I don’t think people talk about Get on the Bus enough,” he explained. “I saw it in Times Square when it came out, and I realised I was one of the very few Caucasian people in the crowd. There was a crackling energy in the theatre. Every moment of that movie had me on the edge of my seat, as far as all the different issues that were floating around. Spike Lee is hugely celebrated, but that’s a movie I never hear talked about.”
