"The 40-Year-Old Virgin" Film Review

"The 40-Year-Old Virgin" Film Review

Rating: 5/5

By: Nathaniel Simpson

    "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" is a delightfully entertaining comedy. While the film could have been a crude, over the top sexual comedy, it instead has tons of heart with a lovable and goofy hero. While the film's main focus is about a group of guys trying to help one of their buddies loose his virginity, it still feels innocent in a way, mostly thanks to Steve Carell's great performance. 

    Andy (Carell) is, like the title mentions, 40 years old and a virgin. He is a lovable goofball who is extremely nerdy, evident by the numerous action figures and comics he has throughout his small apartment. Through a series of flashbacks, we find out that he has gotten close, but never sealed the deal. When his friends at work (Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, Romany Malco) find this out, they make it their personal mission to help their friend finally have sex. At the same time however, Andy falls in love with a woman who works across the street, named Trish (Katherine Keener). 

    This film is genuinely funny, compared to the comedies that are being released today. For example, the most famous scene from the entire film (and also perhaps one of the most famous scenes in the comedy genre) is where Andy gets his chest waxed to help him pick up women. Carell actually consented to having his chest really waxed, unbeknownst to his cast members. It is hilarious watching Carell genuinely yell out a string of profanities while watching his fellow stars squirm and react to what they were witnessing. 

    Going into this movie, I was expecting a very hard-R film with a cheap story and tons of sexual comedy throughout. The story is actually very well-crafted, and has great character and plot development as it goes on. Andy is completely different towards the end of the film than he was when the movie started. It's a beautiful story about finding the one for you, which Andy did in Trish. 

    As it is funny and warrants many sexual gags and jokes, it is also surprisingly heartfelt as well. Towards the latter half of the film, you feel for his character and want his relationship with Trish to succeed. You also feel overjoyed when her teenage daughter (Kat Dennings), who is going through a major phase in her teenage years, starts to warm up to Andy following an embarrassing doctor's visit. It's a pity we don't get comedies like this anymore as I think this film perfectly mixes the comedy genre with a heartfelt drama.