Judd Apatow has revealed that he prefers his movies to be longer than most comedies.

The producer-director's hit films such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Pineapple Express have defied comedy trends by routinely running close to two hours.

Apatow explained to Collider that Hollywood's tendency for comic films to run under 90 minutes sometimes deprives them of much-needed character development.

"We're fighting the attention span of Earth," he joked. "I don't think there's that many great 90-minute comedies, to be honest with you. The ones that I always liked, whether it's Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News or Fast Times of Ridgemont High, they were all about two hours, or a little bit over two hours."

He further explained: "With that extra 15 or 20 minutes, you can get to real character and you're not just stuck in plot. There are people who like short movies, and I think they should just watch our movies on DVD because they can pause, go to the bathroom, eat dinner, and come back to it.

"Every time I'm in editing, there's always a moment where you think, 'Maybe this should be six or seven minutes shorter, but I'm losing character and story that I think is important'. When I like things, I'm not in a rush for them to end. But, there are people that entertainment is something they do at the end of a long hard day at work, and they want to be entertained and have it over quickly. They're like, 'Entertain me fast'!"

Apatow previously expressed his belief that the upcoming Anchorman sequel won't ruin the original film's legacy if it isn't a box office success.

The Apatow-produced Five Year Engagement opens on Friday in US cinemas and on June 22 in the UK.

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Watch a trailer for Five Year Engagement below:

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