A star is born with this film. Steve Carell was fantastic as The 40 Year-Old Virgin, a perfect fit for the role, and a perfect role to launch him into stardom. This film's title and previews, although hilarious, simply don't do it justice in illustrating its good hearted nature. One of the signs for me that I truly love a movie is when I find myself thinking several times throughout my viewing, "please don't end yet, keep on going, give me some more movie." Steve Carell handily delivers the 40 Year-Old Virgin to this description. Not only is this movie hilarious, but it's also quite endearing. I found myself immediately engrossed in Steve Carell's character, Andy. Written by both Steve Carell ("Bruce Almighty," and the TV series "The Office") and Judd Apatow (co-executive producer of "The Larry Sanders Show," and producer of "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy"), The 40 Year-Old Virgin has all the ingredients of a box office smash and a real classic: great humor, a charming love story, and thorough character development.
All 40 year old virgins must see this film; and even if you're no longer a virgin… it'll entertain just as well. The 40 Year-Old Virgin's humor just barely holds on to its "R" rating, so if you're easily offended … well, deal with it. It's worth it as long as you don't mind feeling a bit of pain from some deep laughing. Steve Carell's character is, of course, a virgin at 40 years old, the consummate "nerd" for whom you feel an immediate emotional investment, as if you're rooting for your team to win the World Series. Andy works at an electronics store, drives a bicycle (he has no car), sports an ever so tidy hair style, and lives in an apartment overflowing with never opened action figures and comic books. He is totally devoid of any confidence to speak with women, and his only excitement seems not to go beyond making himself an egg salad sandwich and playing his video games.
He finds himself invited to a poker game with some coworkers, that serves as the catalyst to his transformation out of his 40 Year-Old Virgin shell. During some "guy talk" at the poker game, his new-found friends discover from his (hilarious) inability to convincingly recount his most interesting sexual escapades, that he is, in fact, a virgin. Describing breasts as "bags of sand" was just the topping on the cake. Taking an immediate interest in rectifying his virginal status, David, Jay and Cal (Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, and Seth Rogen, respectively) make it their mission to get Andy laid. Each of Andy's three new friends takes a different approach, offering varying and sometimes opposing advice that cause Andy to run into some trying circumstances. From a box full of porn (for practice), to targeting "drunk off their ass" girls, to "don't talk, just ask questions," Steve Carell's character has a bumpy accelerated sexual education.
Strangely, despite Andy's total lack of ability to speak comfortably with women, they seem to generally have an immediate attraction to Steve Carell upon meeting him - maybe it's his innocence. Nonetheless, the journey he takes through The 40 Year-Old Virgin hits some side-splitting comedic moments, like condom application difficulties, erection jokes, and painful chest hair waxing (oh, by the way, that was real - no movie magic - man, Steve's got a forest growing on there). However, this gross out humor is mixed quite well with a deep sense of the good-natured tone of the cast. There is a strong feeling that Andy and his friends truly care about each other, especially David, Jay and Cal's interest in Andy's sexual and romantic well being. Although his friends were so keenly focused on Andy's virginal issues, they were in just as desperate need for support in their own lives.
Trish, a "Sell your stuff on eBay" retail store owner,
played by Catherine Keener, provides the conduit so urgently needed
by Andy to de-virginize his lack of experience in love. I found
myself intently rooting for the relationship to blossom. With equal
hesitance to introduce sex into their burgeoning relationship, albeit
for different reasons, Andy and Trish are equally content to postpone
what they both so desperately desire. When the culmination of Andy's
4 decade long struggle is finally realized with Trish, the experience
is a wild success for Andy, Trish, and the ending of this summer
"must see" romantic comedy!