"That's a nice-a donut."
Sunday, January 22, 2006
The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)
The basic story of The 40 Year-Old Virgin, from director and co-writer Judd Apatow, could easily be described as a more vulgar and grown-up version of the first American Pie movie. That description could very well have been a hindrance, and even death-knell, to the quality of the movie. But with a talented creative crew, including star (and fellow co-writer) Steve Carell, it not only works well but the result is one of the very best comedies of the year.
And the basic story is about as simple as you can get. In short, Andy Stitzer (Carell) is a 40 year-old virgin. And things seem pretty hopeless for him too: he works at an electronics store, he not only rides his bicycle every where, but doesn't even own a car and, among other things, he has a massive (albeit impressive) collection of toys and figurines. Still in their original packaging, of course. One day Andy's coworkers (played by Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, and Seth Rogen) discover his dark, shameful secret and make it their mission to get him laid. After some partying and shenanigans, he soon meets a promising single mom (Catherine Keener) who owns her own small business. Things go very smoothly between them, but that pesky issue of sex might be getting in the way, much to the chagrin of Andy and his pals.
The movie is hilarious at times. Some of those moments play off of Andy's goofiness and near-complete lack of any self-awareness. For instance, how several women - including an attractive bookstore employee - seem very interested in Andy, yet he seems to have no idea. Or how some of the songs on the soundtrack are just right for their respective scenes. Other moments are purely slapstick, such as a scene where Andy tries to figure out how to put on a condom with ...embarrassing consequences. And, yes, the chest waxing scene is just as painful - and just as knee-slapping - as it has been made out to be.
For the most part, the supporting cast is just window dressing - foils for Andy. They are all decent in their roles, but simply there to gradually move the story along. Any of Andy's coworkers could have been cut, without any real loss. On the other hand, Keener is nearly perfect as the single mom that Andy is dating. She provides plenty of humor when needed, has just the right does of chemistry with Carell, and she just seems to be what anybody else in Andy's situation might hope for. Memo to Hollywood: get your heads out of the sand and start casting Catherine Keener more frequently. She's good.
Her leading man is pretty good though as well. Really, Carell is a natural at this. His timing is on-the-spot and he even has a gift for physical comedy. He deserves to have a long career in film ahead of him. The one main weakness of The 40 Year-Old Virgin, though, is that it is just too long for a comedy. They easily could have cut it down some, or even cut out a subplot or two entirely, and it would have been just as funny and effective. But it's certainly not enough to ruin the movie. The Verdict: B+.
Michael Bentley 4:12 PM
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