Sunday, November 9, 2008

The 40 Year Old Virgin

Steve Carell made the leap from comedic sidekick to comedic lead with The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Carell plays Andy, the store room manager at an electronics megastore who happens to be 40 years old... and a virgin (it still took them 3 months to come up with the title). A few of Andy's male coworkers discover his dilemma and take it upon themselves to get him laid. Bar trips, speed dating and all-around bad advice send Andy on a sexless spiral until he meets the lovely Trish and falls for her enough to give dating another try. To hide his "condition" he agrees to a 20 date no-sex deal that goes along swimmingly until it gets closer to D-Day (the "D" is for "Do it") and the fear of fessing up starts to become too much. Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen and more join Carell on this tale of testicular tribulations. But, before I say anything that will blow it (chuckle), let's get to the ratings...

Original Release: 2005
Running Time: 116 minutes
(Check out the rating system.)
Hardee-Har-Har - $1
While Virgin was pretty funny the first time I saw it, I've laughed a little bit less every viewing since. It just isn't the kid of comedy that you will find something new to laugh in when you watch it again. Don't get me wrong, I love the movie... it just doesn't have the subtle laughables that give other comedies a sense of longevity. That'll cost them a dollar.

Acting - $1
Nothing terrible here, but nothing spectacular either. Everyone plays characters that aren't too far of a stretch from their own personalities so the upside was that everyone was comfortable in their roles, but the downside is that they were almost too comfortable in their roles. I didn't get the feeling that anyone was trying all that hard.

Repeat Play - $1
Every time I watch 40-Year-Old Virgin I realize it is going to be a while before I watch it again, no matter how inevitable the next time is. The gaps between viewings seems to be growing exponentially, but that is likely due to my comment above about there not being much new to laugh at with repeat plays.

Hello Ladies - $1
First things first... I dig Catherine Keener. If I was older, I would. Elizabeth Banks is always pretty easy to look at too. Add these two ladies and flocks of background or "extras" lookers, and you get yourself a buck.

Nerd Factor - $2
I know it will come as a surprise that a guy who blogs about his DVD collection may be some sort of a nerd, but that's just the way it is. Get over it, calm yourself down, and we'll proceed. I've been known to have the occasional action figure (loose or in its original packaging) in my house, on my desk, or on my person in a place that few would think to look. That being the case, I was totally nerding out at some of the toys that Andy had. I even HAVE some of the toys Andy had. While watching it I could only imagine how fun it must have been to be the set decorator that got to find all of those classic and awesome "collectibles". Friggin sweet.
Total Rating: $6

This is one that I suspect some people may not agree with. A lot of folks enjoy 40-Year-Old Virgin (the movie, not the real thing) but the numbers don't lie here. It just doesn't measure up to my high standards as well as other comedies that have graced my DVD player. I'd love to hear if you agree or disagree, so feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts. That's all for now though, so keep on rockin in the free world!

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