Movie Review: The 40 Year-Old Virgin

The 40 Year-Old Virgin

Let me be frank, here: The posters for this movie didn't excite me in the least. In fact, the name of the movie alone was enough for me to consider it a "must miss." But then I heard some early positive word about the movie and, being more in the mood for a comedy than anything else at a particular late night showing, I thought I'd risk it. What a delightful surprise The 40 Year-Old Virgin turned out to be!

Andy Stitzer (Steve Carell) is a relatively ordinary guy as far as shy, nerdy types go. He's in charge of the stock department at a large electronics store in a shopping mall, and on his own time, he collects classic action figures. Oh, and then, of course, there's the fact that he's 40 and has never had sex. His co-workers at the store think he's a bit odd and more than a little dull, but don't otherwise think about him too much until they end up a man short for a poker game. Andy's fellow stockman, Cal (Seth Rogen) warns the other guys that Andy's so quiet and odd that he's probably a serial killer, but they decide to take a chance and invite him to play.

Andy's a nice enough guy, and he makes every effort to fit in to the group. But when the conversation degenerates into a series of "the kinkiest sex I've ever had" stories, Andy has to think fast to make up a story of his own. Jay (Romany Malco) is a playboy with plenty to tell; David (Paul Rudd) is still reminiscing about a girl with whom he broke up two years ago. Cal has stories, too. But Andy? Well, he does his best to fake it, but when he mentions a woman's breast having felt like a bag of sand, the jig is up.

Although Jay, David, and Cal are shocked, they don't condemn Andy. Instead, they make up their minds then and their to put an end to Andy's long dry spell. With well-meaning advice coming from all sides — and an offer not to be believed from his boss — Andy is confused, but willing to go along. The guys take him to a bar where Jay tells him that drunk women are exactly the kind of woman he wants. Andy promptly meets a very drunk woman named Nicky (Leslie Mann), but things don't go quite as he might have hoped. Then Cal introduces Andy to a pretty bookstore clerk named Beth (Elizabeth Banks), and things start looking up.

The guys decide that Andy could use a little self improvement, too, ignoring completely the fact that they've each got troubles of their own. But Andy is distracted from their efforts when he meets Trish (Catherine Keener), a happy-go-lucky owner of an eBay store across the street from the mall. Despite his interest in Trish, and even with all of the help and encouragement he's getting from his friends, Andy is having a difficult time working up the courage to ask Trish out. And even if he does date Trish — or Beth, or Nicky, or Gina — will he have the nerve to confess his big secret?

Steve Carell is a hoot in the title role. Andy is sweet and innocent, but he's also eternally optimistic and a genuinely nice guy. Carell created the character as a short skit some years ago, but had the opportunity to flesh it out when he began working with Judd Apatow (one of the men responsible for the wonderful and woefully underappreciated television show Freaks & Geeks). The two co-wrote the script, and Apatow directed while Carell starred. If any one of the aspects had been changed — perhaps Andy is too weird, the script is too cruel or humiliating, or the director goes for cheap laughs — The 40 Year-Old Virgin would have been the movie I expected it to be. Fortunately, the sensitive treatment given to Andy and his circumstances allows the movie to be funny without being overly crude or vicious.

Carell couldn't have been the Andy that he was without a very good supporting cast, and he's got one here. Paul Rudd is adorable; Romany Malco brings to life the kind of guy you just want to slap, but can't because he's so charming. Seth Rogen isn't afraid to be an oddball, but at the same time he knows his niche and is proud of it. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Banks is very good as the oversexed Beth. Catherine Keener offers perhaps the most understated performance. She's good, but could have been better...

Some years ago, There's Something About Mary showed audiences that crude sexual humor could be well done and very, very funny. The 40 Year-Old Virgin is something like that, though sweeter and a bit more staid. Still, the movie has its moments, and some of them are downright hysterical (the hair waxing scene is not to be missed, and it's all the more funny when you realize it was unrehearsed and done for real because Carell wanted his reactions to be authentic). If you're in the mood for some laughs, and don't mind a few lessons along with way, there's nothing else that will fill the bill quite like The 40 Year-Old Virgin.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: The 40 Year-Old Virgin is rated R for "pervasive sexual content, language, and some drug use." The sexual content is, indeed, pervasive, and some of that pervasiveness is downright graphic. This is not a movie for kids! Older teens, though (say age 16 and up or so), should enjoy the film and might actually learn something from it; adults who aren't afraid to admit that they find some moderately crude situations funny will also find plenty to laugh about. I laughed out loud more than a few times, and enjoyed the film from start to finish (the end, by the way, is a particular treat).