The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)

Movie Info

We’re going to get you laid!

Andy Stitzer (Steve Carell) has a problem.  He lives alone, works at an electronics store, and rides a bike…and he hasn’t had sex.  Though Andy has given up, Andy’s coworkers have different plans for Andy when they learn about his virgin status.  David (Paul Rudd), Jay (Romany Malco), and Cal (Seth Rogen) decide they are going get Andy the one thing he’s never had…even if he doesn’t want it.  While Andy struggles with his friends plans, the arrival of a woman named Trish (Catherine Keener) could either solve the problem or complicate it more.

Directed by Judd Apatow, The 40-Year-Old Virgin is a romantic comedy.  The script was written by Judd Apatow and Steve Carell and was a critical and box-office success.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin was an easy movie.  The subject is ripe for humor and cast is strong enough to bring it.  As a result, The 40-Year-Old Virgin still remains one of the funnier films of the 2000s.

Evil, evil woman!!!

The 40-Year-Old Virgin has a lot of versatility to it.  It doesn’t rely on one type of humor for the laughs and as a result turns into a kind of sweet romance.  With an extended addition going over two hours, the film can be kind of long, but for the most part, it builds the story and characters…it is worth watching if nothing else for the waxing scene.  The whole movie is a nice set-up for a good payoff and who can complain about lip-synching to Fifth Dimension?

The movie helped propel Steve Carell to stardom.  The Office set-up Carell as a lead and Anchorman helped cement him, but The 40-Year-Old Virgin cemented him as a comedy star.  Catherine Keener makes a great co-lead for him and the movie was also a start-up vehicle for a lot of celebrities who were just taking a foothold and more established actors including Paul Rudd, Seth Rogan, Romany Malco, Jane Lynch, Elizabeth Banks, Kat Dennings, Leslie Mann, Jonah Hill, Mindy Kaling, Kevin Hart, and Jenna Fischer.  Porn star Stormy Daniels (who became known after admitting an affair with Donald Trump) also appears as the porn actress that Andy tries to fantasize about.

Let the sun shine!

The movie has a lot of fun with Andy’s “geek factor” at Andy’s expense of course.  The movie is a fun movie to watch just to look at all of Andy’s collectibles…as a geek, I appreciate the work they put in to getting a bunch of legitimate collectibles together for Andy’s apartment.  That’s good production design.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin is a fun movie that holds up.  The stars have all moved on to solo careers for the most part but it is fun to see Apatow movies in their early points.  The movie fires on all types of comedy genres from slapstick to “smart” humor, and it does it with style…take the Virgin for a second (or new) spin!