Up until 'Bridesmaids,' the general consensus was that women preferred comedy a bit softer.

Apatow credits Shandling as his mentor for influencing him to write comedy that is more character-driven. The film was a box office success. Apatow did an uncredited rewrite of the 1998 Adam Sandler comedy film The Wedding Singer and was featured in four tracks on Sandler's 1996 comedy album "What the Hell Happened to Me?.

Apatow's work has won numerous awards including a Primetime Emmy Award (for The Ben Stiller Show) a Hollywood Comedy Award and an AFI Award for his movie Bridesmaids. : /ˈæpətaʊ/; born December 8 1967) is an American film producer director and screenwriter.