55The Big Short (2015)

Taking a book about the elements that coalesced into the 2008 financial crisis and turning it into a wild ride as well as an informative film, Charles Randolph and Adam McKay broke the fourth wall, helping the audience understand every twist of the economic screws. As McKay said to the crowd at a Writers Guild Foundation event, “The banks want you to believe this is so complicated. And it’s not. There’s just a massive disconnect in our culture between what we need to know and what we’re actually knowing.” They managed to make the terrible truth entertaining, and win the 2016 Writers Guild Award for Adapted Screenplay.

READ: The Big Short’s Charles Randolph and Adam McKay talk about their “chocolate and peanut butter” partnership and how comedy writers are changing the way movies are made.