Michael Showalter Quotes

There`s a Baxter in every single romantic comedy,

John Roberts is a Baxter. Have you seen his hair? It`s parted with a snow shovel!

She`s sweet and she`s nice, she`s just not Andie MacDowell. God forbid, you`re not Andie MacDowell. You`re just a person, ... I`m playing with that whole idea that the characters have these quirks about their personalities that we`ve been conditioned to believe equal wrongness.

In each case, the minute you see them, you know they`re wrong, ... The instant they walk on the screen, they give you some information that immediately makes the audience turn to the person sitting next to them and say, `He`s wrong for her. It`ll never work out.`

David (Wain) and I had been writing a spoof of romantic comedies, and we started thinking about this stereotypical character. We started imagining an entire movie about him.

Their unifying characteristic is they`re not romantic. They have this inability to recognize the simple romantic needs of their counterpart. They just never know the right thing!

(In contrast, the non-Baxter will simply go with his gut:) he has a spontaneous, `Hey, what`s that thing across the street?` thing, ... And, of course, it`s perfect.

He`ll cook too complicated a dinner, and it backfires. Or, he`ll plan the whole night out minute by minute.

Baxters overdo it. The Baxter is the guy who`s going to take a girl to the best restaurant in town, having no clue if it`s appropriate for her. All that matters is, it`s the best. Anything recommended as the most romantic place, that`s where you`ll find the Baxter.

They`re (the Baxters) trying very hard. It just doesn`t come naturally. They don`t have a gift for it.