Hollywood films have become a cesspool of formula and it's up to us to try to change it... I feel like a preacher! But it's really true. I feel personally responsible for the future of American cinema. Me personally.

He also tends to set his films in Omaha. He maintains a passion for preservation. Payne attended Creighton Preparatory School high school and later Stanford University where he double majored in Spanish and History.

His films are noted for their dark humor and satirical depictions of contemporary American society. Alexander Payne (born Constantine Alexander Payne; February 10 1961) is an American film director and screenwriter known for the films Election (1999) About Schmidt (2002) Sideways (2004) and The Descendants (2011).