College is the reward for surviving high school. Most people have great fun stories from college and nightmare stories from high school.
Judd Apatow
I think that everything I do tends to root for the underdog.
There was definitely a period when I just felt out of sync with earth.
I love magazines and film critics, so I eat it up. I'm not one of those people who says 'I never read anything.' I generally read all of it.
Eventually, the nerds and the geeks will have their day.
Well, every movie is an experiment. And the only way you can grow at what you're doing is to take chances. You can't try to stick with what worked last time.
Up until 'Bridesmaids', the general consensus was that women preferred comedy a bit softer.
I think a lot of Hollywood is in retreat right now trying to figure out how to make money and make the safest bets.
I'm the guy who gets uncomfortable. That's why I was able to write 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin' and 'Knocked Up.' I believe in those guys.
My way of dealing with the world has always been to make fun of it and observe it but not take part in it. That's how I became a writer. But when you have kids, suddenly you have to be part of things. It leads almost to a breakdown because your whole defense mechanism is now really destructive.
It's so difficult to shock America these days.
Television is much more difficult because at every moment the network can force you to change things based on their belief about what would make it popular. You're in a constant debate with a gun at your head, and the gun is cancellation. So it's hard to win the arguments.
There are only so many hilarious actors so when they cross-pollinate, people assume it's always the same actors and directors.
I put on a big show when I write something I think is funny.
I wanted to see how funny I could be without making the choice that every 10 minutes something big and visual had to happen.
If you look at who drives the box office numbers at these films, it's men.
I think a lot of studios today are run by women, and we are entering a time when a lot of women have evolved in Second City and Upright Citizens Brigade and wanted to become writers and comedians.
The thing that is incredibly helpful is that we screen the movies and we ask the audience if they like it or not and we ask a lot of questions and do testing on the movies. For comedies, at least, it's very helpful. If they're not laughing and they don't say that they loved it, then I have screwed up.
The moment you think of a joke is the best moment.
I always felt as a kid that I was underappreciated, invisible or weird, but I've always secretly thought people would one day appreciate what is different about me. I'm always putting that message out there.
I've had movies bomb with terrible reviews, I've had movies make a lot of money with terrible reviews, I've had movies get good reviews and make money. And I like it best when the movies do well and the reviewers like them.
I don't know if you can be a born-again virgin.
I still feel like a nerd.
I always see other people as predecessors and admire them.
All of my jokes were about not being able to meet anybody. I didn't have any insight into anything - even my own insecurities.
There's something honorable about holding out for love and not breaking up for the sake of the baby. I see people get divorced, and there is a part of me that thinks, I wonder how hard they tried?
I'm making a movie about relationships, and I'm surrounded by guys scared of talking to girls.
To me, I've never understood why there is any question about are women as funny as men.
For me, until I know that the audience really gets what I'm trying to communicate I'm not done.
People like the comedy more when they care about the characters.
