The 40-Year Old Virgin (review) (1 Viewer)

[Michael St. Clair]

Last night, I was fortunate enough to get an invite to a press screening of 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin'. I had not seen any trailers or ads (blame Tivo) for this film, so I didn't have too high of expectations. OK, I did have some expectations, as contributors like Judd Apatow (Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared), Steve Carell (Daily Show, Anchorman), and Seth Rogan (pretty much everything that Judd produces, writes, or directs) have shown substantial talent in the past.

Steve Carell plays protagonist Andy Stitzer. Yeah, he’s 40 and he still hasn’t done it. He has no social life, and lives a solitary after-hours existence hand painting models in an apartment full of action figures and other geek accoutrement. Once his ‘Big Box’ store coworkers at the Big Box store figure it out, they embark on a mission to get Andy laid, and hilarity ensues.

No, really. Hilarity does ensue. Sure, most of the laughs are from dirty jokes and physical humor, but they are really good one-liners and mishaps. This film evokes the unabashed R-rated comedies of the 70s, and is loaded with gay jokes, racial (not racist) humor, excessive drinking, old men swearing, lots of pot smoking, and the funniest condom gags I’ve ever seen.

All of the jokes are framed in the plot of having Andy chase young hotties around the single bars and bookstore, while inching ever so closely towards a relationship, and commitment, with the mature, free-spirited Trish (Catherine Keener). The ever-watchable Ms. Keener is starting to show her years, but she can still pull off the same saucy ‘Cool Chick’ characters like she portrayed in ‘Living in Oblivion’ and ‘Being John Malkovich’. As Andy’s secret and Trish’s issues head down the collision course towards the film’s denouement, the plot becomes predictable but remains entertaining we enjoy more character development than is found in the typical ‘dumb comedy’.

Paul Rudd and Romany Malco deliver serviceable supporting performances as two of Steve’s buddies, but Seth Rogan steals the show as stoner Cal. Elizabeth Banks shines as perverted, horny bookseller Beth; Peter Parker can only wish that her Betty Brant were so kinky.

As in typical Apatow vehicles, music is used to good effect; highlights include the appearance of supergroup Asia in both poster and soundtrack form, and the film’s closing scene: a hilarious classic musical number from a famous hippie Broadway show.

In the end, the characters are likeable, the laughs keep coming, and the story is cute. I give it a very solid :star: :star: :star: stars out of :star: :star: :star: :star: . I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time. This film succeeds where similar fare like ‘Wedding Crashers’ and ‘The Anchorman’ fall slightly short. I hope this film succeeds at the box office and we see additional unrestrained projects from Mr. Apatow in the future.

 

[Tino]

My brother also saw it last night and agrees. He says it was laugh out loud funny and is going to do huge business.

 

[Colton]

My wife and I saw it at an Advance Screening and the audience roared with laughter! A must-see!

- Colton

 

[Jeff Cox]

I am excited to see this flick.

 

[JonZ]

I was suprised to see James Bs rating for this movie.....
http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/f/40_year.html

 

[Citizen87645]

His high rating is no surprise to me. I loved the movie. Best damned comedy I've seen in a long time! Oh, and Catherine Keener is hot!

 

[Patrick Sun]

I was either laughing or snickering through most of this film, which was funny and on-target, while maintaining an underlying warmth towards the story at hand.

I give it 3.75 stars, or a grade of A-.

 

[Richard Kim]

Just saw it today. There were many laugh out loud moments in the film, however I thought the film started to lose its focus towards the end. I also thought it was overly long (2 hours for a comedy?). Still, an enjoyable movie, with its heart in the right place.

I give it :star: :star: :star: 1/2 out of :star: :star: :star: :star:

 

[Quentin]

It's about 10-20 minutes too long. But, it is top notch. One of the best scripts I've seen in a while and the most solid romantic comedy I've seen in years.

9.5 out of 10.

 

[Craig S]

9 out of 10 for me. The 40-Year Old Virgin is the best comedy of the year, by far.

Seth Rogan rocks in this one. Catherine Keener, best known for her portayals of rather cold women, shines in a role that allows her warmth to come through. And Steve Carell, after a career of scene-stealing supporting work, moves into leading man territory without breaking a sweat. Well, except for maybe the waxing scene (in which he improvised his "dialogue" as he was REALLY getting waxed). That one is an instant classic.

The most common complaint I've seen (not only here) is that it is overlong. On the one hand, yeah, it may be 10-15 minutes longer than it needs to be - but on the other hand, I was laughing the entire time. So really, it's not a big problem.

 

[Citizen87645]

 

[Robert Crawford]

This was a very funny film. Yes, it was a bit long, but I had a great time watching it.






Crawdaddy

 

[Michael St. Clair]

90% Fresh at Rotten Tomatoes!
Have you ever seen an R-Rated comedy get 90% fresh?
Have you ever seen any comedy get 90% fresh?

Go see this movie! It's that good!

 

[Shawn_KE]

I agree with most everyone else. Laughed my ass off for the first half but like most comedys, the laughs are front loaded and the endings get drug out.

The ending song video was pretty funny though.

Kinda funny that I have a roomfull of toys and paint model cars and figures. But I have no problem getting action lol.

 

[Will K]

I rarely see comedies in theaters anymore because they are either bland formula(Big Momma's House), family dreck(The Pacifier), or I get burned because everyone in the office says it's hilarious(There's Something About Mary).

I've liked Steve Carell since The Daily Show and I enjoyed the first season of The Office. He certainly doesn't disappoint in this movie, nor does the rest of the cast. Aside from all the dirty jokes and a few gross-out moments, this movie is basically a good-natured romp of sexual anxiety. It's an often hilarious, well-written crowd-pleaser with a broad palette of humor from obvious physical gags to pop culture references. The character interplay is also quite enjoyable, as well.

Regarding the movie's length, yeah, it's a little longer than most comedies, but I give the filmmakers props for their confidence in allowing the audience to hang out with the characters a while instead of paring the movie down to a typical 80-something minutes.

This is the funniest movie I've seen in a long time and one of my favorites of the year.

 

[Carlo_M]

Solid :star: :star: :star: /:star: :star: :star: :star:

I agree that Wedding Crashers probably knocked it down a 1/2 :star: in my ratings since I recently saw that movie and thought it the funniest raunchy comedy I'd seen in years. If that movie hadn't come out, 40 Y.O.V. would have gotten that title.

Much raunchier than the previews give hint of. If you like Carell (and the three pals were hilarious too, and Keener does a good job in her role), then I don't think you'll be disappointed with this movie. I was actually surprised that it was nearly 2 hours (just like Wedding Crashers) as I didn't think it felt nearly that long. I would have guessed 100 minutes if you'd asked me how long it felt as I came out of the theaters.

 

[Mike Graham]

Enjoyed it better then Wedding Crashers, which was great in its own right. I didn't find the film too long because frankly a lot of films seem drawn out these days.

Its evident that the creative force behind Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared is at work here, as the dialogue between the friends is just right, as are the weaknesses of some of the characters:

when the bald salesman confesses to Andy he cheats simply because he's insecure, its obviously played for laughs, but the scene still feels "real." It was nice to see real people being portrayed in a comedy, instead of just mean assholes and caricatures which seems to be pretty common these days.

 

[Craig J. Koban]

Just saw this film a few nights ago and I was kind of shocked how much I truly enjoyed it. It's a strange amalgamation of the sensibilities of WOODY ALLEN and THE FARRELLY BROTHERS - a gross-out teen sex comedy that has middle aged men and actually has the time to be sort of tender and sweet. I would definitely agree that it was the best comedy of the year, if not of recent memory. Effective marriage of raunch and romance.

 

[Ravi K]

Very funny and sweet too. Steve Carell is great.

I was trying to figure out who the bald guy was while watching it, then I suddenly realized he played MC Hammer in a VH1 movie about him!

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Great movie.

My favorite thing is that it doesn't give an answer on how to treat sex. It basically makes it seem confusing (cheating, promiscuity, attachment, duration, ability, etc.). I liked that.