Review: The 40 Year Old Virgin

Steve Carrell and writer/director Judd Apatow finally have a big hit. The 40-Year Old Virgin is a lot of fun. I counted over a dozen laugh out loud moments in this film. And for the rest of the film you are left with a stupid grin on your face. Steve plays Andy Stitzer who has the aforementioned affliction of the films title. The film centers around his revelation and his friends attempt to get him over the hump. The film in the beginning is very crude (in a good way) but never feels totally unrealistic. The banter of his fellow co-workers at a Circuit City like electronics store feels like the banter you hear between male co-workers. And what I really enjoyed about this movie is its attempt to try all sorts of kinds of humor, yet had the sense to pull it back and keep it on track with reality. The film takes a nice totally unexpected turn when Andy meets Trish played Catherine Keener as a Ebay store owner. The film does a great balancing act of becoming a romantic comedy yet retains its dirty first half roots of sick humor. All in all it kind of reminded me of Howard Stern's Private Parts which was filled with dirty humor but had a true heart beating behind it.

I think to be honest you have to give total credit to writer/director Judd Apatow. I really didn't know who this guy was until several months ago, when I rented his TV show from the late 90's called Freaks and Geeks. I love this show. And after I consumed it I was so desperate for more that I started to see what else Mr. Apatow had on tap. I'm currently watching his other quickly cancelled but brilliant show about college called Undeclared on DVD. But back to Virgin, Apatow like Freaks and Geeks seems to have a real love for its characters. And that is writing 101 folks. That's what makes this film better than a lot of the other comedies or gross out comedies. And if the studios would someday figure that out, going to the movies would be more exciting than going to see the latest CGI plane crashing into a desolate Island of CG people trying to stop CG dinosaurs. But that's just me getting old, and that's my opinion for the day. Go see The 40-Year Old Virgin, and have a great time.