40 Year Old Virgin (XXL Version) [2005] - DVD (Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Elizabeth Banks - Dir: Judd Apatow)

Cult comic actor Steve Carell--long adored for his supporting work on The Daily Show and in movies like Bruce Almighty and Anchorman--leaps into leading man status with The 40 Year-Old Virgin. There's no point describing the plot; it's about how a 40 year-old virgin named Andy (Carell) finally finds true love and gets laid. Along the way, there are very funny scenes involving being coached by his friends, speed dating, being propositioned by his female manager, and getting his chest waxed. Carell finds both humour and humanity in Andy, and the supporting cast includes some standout comic work from Paul Rudd (Clueless, The Shape of Things) and Jane Lynch (Best in Show, A Mighty Wind), as well as an unusually straight performance from Catherine Keener (Lovely & Amazing, Being John Malkovich). And yet... something about the movie misses the mark. It skirts around the topic of male sexual anxiety, mining it for easy jokes, but never really digs into anything that would make the men in the audience actually squirm--and it's a lot less funny as a result. Nonetheless, there are many great bits, and Carell deserves the chance to shine. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews of 40 Year Old Virgin (XXL Version) [2005]

theredtinkerbell
Exeter
4th December 2008

So much better than the trailer made out.
I see a lot of people said they found the trailer absolutely hilarious and the film was nothing like it. I remember seeing the trailer for this movie and thinking I was going to avoid it, but I saw it one night on TV. I laughed so much I needed a second viewing to hear some of the jokes. This, for me, is Apatow's best comedy by a mile (closely followed by Superbad) and I don't understand how you couldn't find it funny. Steve Carrell actually lives up to his hype in this film and made it into more than the gross out comedy that trailer tried to make it.

si3001
England
16th November 2008

Hilarious and genius!
When I first heard of this film, I thought 'Yeah it just looks like another cheesy american film', however when I finally saw it at my friends house I was plesantly suprised. Not only was it hilarious at nearly every point, it was a well thought-out plot, and an all-round clever and entertaining film. I really do recommend this to anyone who enjoys relevant comedy. A brilliant film.

Ms. S. White

1st November 2008

not up to much
not expecting alot from it when i got it i was very disapointed with it worse than i thought i think i laughed once and didnt relly get the film pretty boring a overall 1.5 out of 5

suhail1052

27th October 2008

Funny, crewd, lewd and a bit offensive
I watched this film more out of empathy than anything else (and maybe some guidance!). With exception to certain scenes, it was actually pretty damn funny. It was also offensive in certain parts, particularly when the main characters were dealing with their Indian work colleagues, who were there as window dressing and cannon fodder (ie - many scenes portrayed that it is ok to be abusive to Indians, whilst you are being sympathetic to a white guy). The film also portrayed Indians in a narrow minded (even racist) tone. That aside, it is also absurd that a 40 year old male virgin would prefer have sex with a similarly aged woman, who (lets face it), is physically over the hill, rather than soil the loins of hotties who are in their physical prime (ie - 18 to early 20's). As a 36 year old virgin, I would much rather do a woman in her physical prime than an old woman who is wrinkled, sagging, over the hill and also a grand-mother. Biologically, it makes far more sense and the end result is (almost) worth the wait. In fact, only sheer desperation would compel me to bump uglies with a woman in her 40's.

disturbed trucker

14th September 2008

A sex comedy without the sex!
Wasn't expecting much of this when we (my wife and I) sat down to watch it, but we were both pleasantly surprised. It is at times quite crude, but always hugely likeable with a warm, freindly demeanour and a good, contrasting mix of sometimes insane, but never nasty or boring characters and silly situations. It's essentially a blokey chick flick that should appeal to both sexes. As long as you're not prudes!