The 40-Year Old Virgin
What She said:
The He and I recently reviewed the movie Ted, which is
supposed to be a raunchy, gross-out comedy with some heart.
However, I was a bit disappointed in the film, and struggled to
figure out exactly why. I think it came down to a couple of
things, one of which being that the jokes were a little hit or
miss. But in my mind, I kept comparing it to another, older
raunchy comedy that I thought hit the mark a lot better, The 40
Year Old Virgin. This inspired The He and I to sit down
and re-watch Virgin so we could get a sense for what works
so well with that movie.
The 2005 film starring Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen,
Romany Malco, Catherine Keener, and Jane Lynch, chronicles the life
of 40 year old Andy. Andy is an upstanding citizen. He
works hard at his job at a local Best Buy-style mega electronics
store, leads a clean life, and has his own place. But as the
title of the movie implies, he’s not exactly experienced with the
ladies. In fact, he’s entirely inexperienced. Andy’s
home life is one of a super-nerd. He spends his free time
playing video games, marching around his apartment playing the
baritone, and collecting toys. A band of bro co-workers,
David, Cal, and Jay, realize Andy’s blight with the hunnies and
decide to make things right. This means dragging Andy out to
nightclubs, trying to set him up random women, and taking him speed
dating. Andy legitimately craves female affection, but as he’s
aged he’s lost his motivation. While David, Cal, and Jay’s
help isn’t exactly fruitful, he received the injection of spirit he
needs to pursue a nearby business owner, Trish. The movie is
filled with on-point comedy, outrageous personalities, and the
warmth of a good heart.
 |
So, what works so well about The 40 Year Old
Virgin? First of all, the comedy, particularly in
comparison to Ted, is totally spot on. Yes, it’s
raunchy and there is a lot of vulgar language in the film, but
Virgin stays on the right side of that fine line between
raunchy and offensive. This was one of Judd Apatow’s earlier
efforts wearing the hats of screenwriter, producer, and director,
and you can tell that he put a lot of care into the plot and
dialogue. Andy’s character is actually very well developed,
which makes the viewer genuinely care about him. He’s that
little brother that you want to see grow his wings and enter the
world of adulthood. You’ll also find yourself feeling very
protective about him, at least I did. I began to become
slightly offended when his friends tried to change him too
much. But that’s a key to this movie. You see, we get to
see almost every character grow and change in some way.
Everyone is initially flawed, although not so much so that they
become wholly unlikable. And as the movie progresses, and his
friends try to help Andy, he, in turn, also helps them to move
forward with their lives. Conceptually, it’s pretty deep stuff
for this type of comedy, but it’s masked so well that you may not
even notice it. It all just comes together to create solid
plot and character development in Virgin.
If I have any gripe about the movie, it’s that the later portions
of the film begin to slack off in the comedy department. This
is clearly intentional, as Apatow starts to bring the heart of the
story into focus. Where I can honestly say that I didn’t
really love any of the characters in Ted, I enjoyed every
one in Virgin. Andy is adorably clueless, David is an
emotional wreck who cannot get over a very past love, Cal is a
stereotypical stock-room pot head who is starting to wonder if his
best years are behind him, and Jay is a player to the core, shaken
when he realizes that his old ways aren’t going to fly
anymore. Watching David melt-down over the store continually
playing Michael McDonald on the for-sale TVs is hilarious, yet
relatable. So, for such rich characters, I’ll give up a little
of the humor toward the end of the flick.
Apatow has been involved with movies like crazy over the past few
years, with many of his more recent turning out to be duds.
But with The 40 Year Old Virgin, he applied a high degree
of care to the story, which is ultimately why this film is a
winner. You might just want to watch who you view it with…not
one I’d like to share with my parents.
Thumbs up.
;
What he said:
Andy Stitzer isn’t your average guy. He lives alone, his
interactions with his coworkers are often awkward, collects toys, enjoys video games, and
watching Survivor with his elderly neighbors is the closest thing he
has to a social life. That’s really not what sets him apart from
other people though. You see, Andy (Steve Carell) doesn’t have
much luck with the ladies. In fact, he never has, if you catch my
drift.
 |
Nobody knows his secret until it comes out at a poker game with
some coworkers. His coworkers, Jay, David, and Cal don’t normally
invite Andy to hang out, but when they need an extra player for
game, they decided to give him a chance. While discussing their
latest conquests, Jay (Romany Malco) begins to suspect that Andy
might be a virgin, so he comes right out and asks him. Andy
vehemently denies it, but the cat is out of the bag. The guys
realize he’s just trying to save face. His awkward behavior suddenly
makes sense to them. He’s not a serial killer – as some suspect –
he’s a 40-year old virgin.
After they get some razzing out of their systems, the guys
actually want to help Andy find a lady friend. They all have
different styles and put Andy through the ringer. They bring him to
bars, clubs, and also trick him into trying speed dating. They
even suggest he wax his chest to increase his sex appeal. This has
got to be one of the funniest scenes in the movie. If you watch the
behind-the-scenes, you find out they really waxed his chest.
 |
Their advice is all over the map too. David (Paul Rudd) is a
sensitive guy who can’t get over his ex. He keeps telling Andy how
great being in love is, some nonsense about combining souls when
making love, and all kinds of other creepy stuff. Jay is the exact
opposite. He has a girlfriend, but has all kinds of ladies on the
side as well. His advice to Andy is to get as much “experience” as
humanly possible. Cal (Seth Rogen) is a major pothead and thinks
Andy should just act cool, even if he’s nervous as hell. His advice
is to play it cool, while somehow being a jerk, but not so much of a
jerk you offend the ladies.
Their plans are thrown a curveball when Andy meets somebody he
actually likes. Trish (Catherine Keener) is an entrepreneur who
works in a nearby location. When she comes in seeking advice on
electronics, Andy helps her out and the two hit it off. The
guys keep trying to steer him towards the dating scene, but Andy
really likes her. Things get tricky between the two when it comes
time to do the deed. Andy has to figure out how to explore this
unfamiliar territory, but also make sure he doesn’t scare Trish off.
The 40-Year Old Virgin is a real interesting movie. It
is raunchier than hell, but somehow manages to have a real big
heart. One minute you are laughing your ass of at some terribly
vulgar joke, while the next you find yourself legitimately rooting
for Andy. I love a good comedy. Some of the funniest movies I’ve
seen over the years have virtually no story though. Movies like
Anchorman (review here), Step Brothers (review
here) and Caddyshack are absolutely hilarious, but they are
totally off the wall. The storylines are insane if there even
is one. But Virgin manages to do the impossible. It creates
a very raunchy, but funny, movie with an enjoyable storyline. That
is kind of a rare thing in movies of this variety. Most of the more
off-the-wall comedies simply embrace that aspect of the movie, but
focus very little on the story.
If you are easily offended, avoid this one like the plague.
There’s a vulgar sex joke every 5 minutes. But if you don’t mind
some raunchy humor, check it out, just as long as you don’t watch it
with your kids/parents.
Prognosis: Thumbs up. This movie review was written on
January 6, 2013. |