by: Josh Marks
Steve Carell has made a career out of playing
stiff-necked characters such as Brick Tamland in the
film “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” or his role as a fake news
reporter on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” Carell
brings this aloofness to the new movie he stars in, “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.”
Comedy writer and producer Judd Apatow, who produced
“Anchorman,” makes his directorial debut and shares the writing credits with Carell. They have brought to the screen a funny and at
times affecting film.
Carell plays 40-year-old Andy Stitzer,
who still collects action figures and rides his bike from his apartment to his
job at an electronics store. His coworkers can’t quite figure him out — they
don’t know if he is just a nice guy or a serial killer. When they find out he
is a virgin they make it their mission to get him laid. However, after some
hilarious failed attempts Andy gets in a relationship with Trish (Catherine
Keener), a single mother who works across the street selling people’s stuff on
eBay.
While the antics are hilarious when Stitzer and his
buddies go to the bar to try to pick up chicks, the actual story of why he is
still a virgin and how he handles his new relationship with Trish makes this
movie a step above your average juvenile, gross-out comedy (although there is a
very real chest hair removal scene involving Carell).
Apatow has managed to balance the humor and absurdity
with a real relationship that develops between Andy and Trish. There is also an
interesting dynamic between her children from a previous relationship and Carell’s character, including an awkward and comical scene
at a local health clinic when the topic of sex comes up.
This movie is highly recommended; with Apatow behind
the camera and an excellent supporting cast who complement Steve Carrel’s
hilarious and at times poignant role as a 40-year-old virgin. There is actually
more to this film than just dirty jokes and physical comedy, although there is
plenty of that as well. “The 40 Year-Old-Virgin” ends up being about more than
just getting laid, which makes the film worth the wait.