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If Brick Tamland, definitely one of the funniest characters from Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), didn't showcase Steve Carell's immense talent, Judd Apatow's The 40 Year Old Virgin is certainly an exhibition. The Frat Pack's newest member plays Andy Stitzer, the protagonist of this unconventionally sweet tale filled with sex-focused jokes and hilarious improvisation. To many, Andy would be classed as a stereotypical virgin loser - a mature hermit fanatical about comic books, action figures, and his mediocre job at electronics store SmartTech. Andy's occupation introduces us to his eager-to-rectify-the-situation colleagues, but personal magnetism from Carell ensures the idea of inexperience in the bedroom is never seen as completely pathetic, just slightly dorkish for a male entering his fifth decade. Indeed, when our central character meets Trish (a pleasant Catherine Keener interested in the deed after twenty dates), it appears the film has no 'problem' to solve.
The nymphomaniac supporting players are exemplary. Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, and Seth Rogen are particularly fantastic as Andy's hip buddies, while Elizabeth Banks, Leslie Mann, and Jane Lynch play some interesting sex-crazed individuals Andy has to deal with en route to Trish's affection. Sure, his friends are sophomorically homophobic and the only instance of one-upmanship they have on Andy is sexual experience, but Apatow manages to include both the immature teasing from his friends and vast amounts of genuine laughs (a chest waxing episode, condom manufacturing support, and speed dating are all highlights), whilst carving out Andy's personal crusade for legitimate affection. Conclusively, Apatow illustrates a geek's difficulties from fantasy action models to explicit action in a heart-warming and hugely rewarding manner. Teething troubles are expressed in Andy's journey, such as trying to win over an already unstructured and unsettled family unit, but Apatow delves further into comedic possibility by pushing the gross-out buttons. Being presented as a nerd who does magic tricks which fail to impress is far enough for most artists, but also vividly showing a hopeless case seemingly operating a dozen condoms incorrectly with no female assistance, is a daring move pulled off with ease.
The extras
"Waxing Doc" kicks off the selection. This is a short behind-the-scenes look at the improvised yet authentic chest waxing scene with Steve Carell expressing his innocent thoughts beforehand, "How hard could it be?" Six deleted scenes with optional commentary are pretty respectable, and as is the problem with most improvised comedy films, so much good material has to be excluded to obey the running time. Six reels of alternate takes also have optional commentary. For both the deleted scenes and varied sequences the optional commentary from Apatow and Rogen does contain juicy revelations (Malco lost his virginity when he was in single digits?!) but, as a viewer, you want the hilarious duo to record a vocal track for the whole film, like the Region 1 2-Disc Edition. "My Dinner with Stormy" and the gag reel are both funny, showcasing Rogen's unique deadpan humour in the former, and the wackiness of the whole cast in the latter. The easy to find "Whack it!" Easter Egg is mediocre. Unfortunately no documentary on the production and the lack of involvement from Carell is a shame. So much more could have been included - both Region 1 releases are better.
The summary
A raunchy and cordial one-joker. Luckily the simple premise plays out superbly and Carell is an indisputable showstopper.
