Andy Stitzer (Steve Carrell) is a forty-year-old stock clerk in a stereo store who lives alone, bicycles to work, collects action figures and...well, he’s never made what Shakespeare called “the beast with two backs.” When his co-workers (the closest thing he has to friends) find out, they make it their mission to try to right this terrible wrong.

Steve says:

Steve Carrell is a star who has been waiting to happen, biding his time in third-banana roles until the right vehicle came along. Not content to wait any further, he finally created it himself and the results are a resounding success. I first became aware of Carrell’s prodigious comic gifts when he was a “correspondent” on THE DAILY SHOW. When I saw him steal a scene from Jim Carrey in BRUCE ALMIGHTY, I knew I was onto something. Now it’s all come to fruition, thanks to his collaboration with the talented writer-director, Judd Apatow, who makes his feature directing debut with VIRGIN.

Carrell’s gifts extend beyond the ability to make us laugh. With Andy Stitzer, he has created a character that possesses an innate sweetness, causing us to root for him rather than ridicule him. Certainly someone whose pride and joy is a collection of action figures that have never been removed from their boxes is a prime target for derision.

Hot on the heels of the success of THE WEDDING CRASHERS, THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN makes it once again possible for an R-rated adult comedy to be made. For the past few years, studios have shunned any properties that might be out of the range of their primary target, the 14-year-old male. These two films have shown that material pitched to a more mature audience can indeed bring in beaucoup bucks.

The wonderful Catherine Keener, who is criminally underused in movies, makes for a delightful love interest as someone who makes Andy rethink his position on sexuality. Usually cast as a raving be-yotch (BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS) Keener easily switches gears to portray a vulnerable, struggling single mom. She’s a huge asset to the film.

Paul Rudd rejoins his former castmate Carrell (ANCHORMAN) as one of the trio of troglodytes intent on getting Andy to give it up. Romany Malco and Seth Rogan round out the gang and their scenes together are inevitably hilarious.

Elizabeth Banks plays a randy bookstore employee who is just horny enough to fall for Andy’s awkward attempt at sexual banter. Another would-be conquest of Andy’s is Nicki, played by Leslie Mann (Mrs. Judd Apatow). She appears to be a sure thing, except for...well, I won’t give that one away. You just have to be there.

The sweetness that Carrell brings to the character of Andy permeates the entire script, elevating THE 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN far above the level of the crude sexual pastiche that it could have become in lesser hands. For that, Apatow’s co-writing and direction much receive some of the credit.

I knew I was in for a solid entertainment when I laughed three times before the opening credits were completed. At an hour and fifty six minutes, THE 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN is a touch long for a comedy and could have used a bit of pruning. But that’s the extent of my criticism.

* * * *

PATTY SAYS:

On the surface, there is nothing appealing about the consummate geek. If we could tear our glance from the Brad Pitt types, the geek is as palatable as a rich Merlot, but after SIDEWAYS, who’s got the guts to order one? We (tell me that I’m wrong, sistahs) think we like the bad boys. We long for the ones who keep us waiting, look beyond us to cast a glance at a nubile bimbo’s cleavage and forget our birthdays. We think we can change them, but what we really need is a geek. Some women spend their whole lives denying the obvious: the good ones are geeks.

Think about it. The adorable Tom Cruise has turned into a major nutjob. Bill Gates has been married to the same woman for 11 years now and the couple has produced three seemingly normal kids. He contributes a boatload of cash to charity every year and I’ve never read that he’s trashed women who suffer from post partum depression.

The premise of THE 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN is: Women…get your shit together! Good things happen to those who wait. I’m not sure that I disagree with that. But….who wants to wait until she’s 40?

The script was tight, the acting was marvelous and the moral of the story was as irrefutable as the knowledge that abstinence is the best form of birth control.

Tell that to teens who prefer Arvil Lavigne to Absolut. Hell, tell that to me.

You’ll find the humor very human. You’ll pull for the good guys and you’ll find yourself believing that a woman as beautiful as Catherine Keener would fall for a guy whose idea of an evening to be remembered is stumbling across a Texas Twister action figure in original packaging. This guy has never driven a car. His living room focal point is a video game chair that makes the command deck of Starship Enterprise look like the dashboard of a 1969 VW Beatle.

Romantics will love THE 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN. I guess you’ll now learn a little about me.

* * * *

Now for the virgin perspective:

Chris says:

Well, since I knew all the games he was playing and what levels he was on, thought that the video gaming chair was really cool (Christmas is coming soon...hint hint), and knew most of the unopened toys he had (although The Six Million Dollar Man was a bit before my time) I think it appropriate I give my view of the movie. I loved it! I connected to it being fourteen and, okay yeah, a virgin.

It was a great comedy, It will be going down in history with AIRPLANE and SOMETHING ABOUT MARY. The acting was great. I began wondering if he was a virgin in real life. He is geeky enough to be. I am glad to see Steve Carrell in the spotlight for once. He was always funny as a secondary character. He wrote the perfect movie to star in.

Well as I said, I loved it. It is a great adult comedy. Translation: I am a bit more laid back than most teens my age. It’s really a funny movie, but know your kids before taking them. There’s my moment of Zen. While I hope I don’t meet his fate, I give THE 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN four and a half unpopped kernels.

* * * *