Alexander Payne Film Quotations

Joe E. Lewis said, 'Money doesn't buy happiness but it calms the nerves.' And that is how I feel about a film being well-received.

There is an audience out there for literate films - slower, more observant, more human films, and they deserve to be made.

I like voice-over in films, and most of my films have been voice-over films.

I like to think of film-making not just as an act of personal self-aggrandisement but rather as an act of public service.

I always wanted 'Sideways' to be like a great 1960s Italian film.

As the years go by and I make more films, I am increasingly interested in capturing place as a vivid backdrop for my films.

I want all of my films to belong to me.

I'm hoping one day I can make one really good film.

In the moment of making films, I want to share my observations of life, not of other films.

But it's just that the whole country is making generally lousy films these days and has been for quite a while. That's the big problem that we all have to think about.

I'm attracted to short screenplays. Nobody really wants a film to be over two hours, or at least I don't.