When director and screenwriter Adam McKay accepted his Academy Award for best adapted screenplay for “The Big Short” at Sunday night’s Oscars, he made sure to thank his wife and his two daughters.
And then he issued a warning to the Oscars audience and those watching at home.
“If you don’t want big money to control government don’t vote for candidates that take money from big banks, oil, or weirdo billionaires. Stop!” he said.
McKay’s remarks echoed a main theme of “The Big Short.” The film is based on Michael Lewis’s best-selling book of the same title about a cohort of traders who bet against the housing market in the United States prior to the financial downturn. It was generally praised for discussing complex financial instruments in layman’s terms, and it unapologetically demonized big banks for the role they played in the crisis. The movie was produced by Regency Enterprises and Brad Grey’s Plan B Entertainment, and is being distributed by Viacom’s (VIAB) Paramount Pictures.
McKay did not specify his allegiance in current race for the White House, but his comments most align with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, the 2016 president candidate who has been the most outspoken against the role of money in government and who’s attacked opponent Hillary Clinton for paid speeches she has given to Wall Street elite.
McKay’s award for adapted screenplay, which he accepted with writer and producer Charles Randolph, was the only win for “The Big Short” Sunday night. The movie was also nominated for supporting actor, directing, film editing, and best picture.