Films are big hits when they touch a lot of people. Things are not funny in a vacuum, they're funny because we respond to some personal dislocation, some embarrassment, some humiliation, some pain we've suffered, or some desire we have.

At a certain point, you have to convince the actors that you've done the right thing. The way I work, if I can't convince them, I've got to move on. I can't coerce them or browbeat them.

Nothing reinforces a professional relationship more than enjoying success with someone.

I've always thought that comedy was just another dramatic expression.

You can perceive life as tragic, or you can laugh at the tragedy of it and that turns it into comedy. It doesn't change the circumstances.

Find the most talented person in the room and if it's not you, go stand next to him. Hang out with him. try to be helpful.

I always claim that the writer has done 90 percent of the director's work.