40yearoldvirgin

Guys are getting some great comedies these days. It seems we men are finally getting our own
genre to help balance the scales against the estrogen rich romantic comedy, which has been a
staple of the female film palate for decades. Films like “Hitch,” “Wedding Crashers” and now “The
40 Year Old Virgin” are giving the Y-chromosome something to relate to and laugh at. A lot.

Steve Carell is Andy, a guy who just never quite managed to seal the deal. His explanation is
simple. He tried when he was young and it never happened. Then, the older he got the more
nervous he got and eventually he just quit trying. Far-fetched? Definitely not. This basic yet
deeply psychological rationale is examined in detail over the course of the film with hilarious and
often thought provoking results.

Carell is once again teamed with “Anchorman” co-star Paul Rudd as one of Andy’s co-workers who
takes on the crusade of getting Andy initiated into the carnal club. They take him clubbing, they
give him women communication tips and ultimately go to great lengths to get their pet project laid.
All of this is extremely humorous with Romany Malco as Andy’s friend Jay practically stealing the
film.

But as crazy as this film can be with its jokes, it also possesses a surprising sense of keen
observation. Singles nightlife is displayed as an awkward racket with Rudd truthfully calling it “nine
dollar beer night.” Drunken desperate girls are scarily disgusting and the viewer is shocked as
much as Andy by this nightmare world of dating. Andy is shocked because it’s all new to him.
We’re shocked because of how disturbingly true it all is. The writers, of which Carell is one, made
a conscious effort to realistically represent what a person with little social experience would go
through. They then take those uncomfortable moments and play them out to their utmost,
generating some terrific comedy in the process. The writing isn’t the only perceptive element of
this film.

Carell is nothing short of amazing in his portrayal of a man who has reached middle age without
really ever growing up. But his apparent “geekiness” is not thrown into the movie as a simple joke,
although it does offer some hilarious commentary from his friends. It’s also there to show that he
filled his life with something other than relationship residue and sexual baggage, things his new
mentors have in spades. His action figure, video game and comic collections are a monument to
his insular lifestyle and a representation of his comfort zone. When these things are threatened,
Andy’s gains into the world of adult relations almost crumble and makes this movie a sex comedy
with more to say than just the next erection joke. Nice guys may finish last, but they finish with
more gained.

This is a genuinely funny film and you’ll laugh most of the way through it, but don’t be surprised if
you find yourself thinking about your own dating career and the difficulties of understanding the
opposite sex.