Review of The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005) by Hector C — 06 Jan 2013

After several producing roles, including Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy, Judd Apatow took his first directing role, taking the helm of The 40 Year Old Virgin. Putting Steve Carell, who also co-wrote with Apatow, in the eponymous role as Andy, the film follows him in his quest to lose his virginity. With the help of Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd, Andy meets Caroline (Catherine Keener), a hot nanny who laughs so much it gets annoying, and inevitably falls in love with her.

It is a strange comedy film, drifting out of outrageous comedy zone and into romcom zone on numerous occasions. This leaves a mushy, gooey romantic core, and I donâ(TM)t like that. I want to see foul-mouthed fat men hurling abuse, alcoholic sexual fanatics whisking forty year olds off their feet. But instead, I get an annoying performance from Catherine Keener who is somehow sexually and emotionally attached to a geeky virgin who works at a technology store.

There are laughs, most of them for me coming from a hilarious black couple from the flat above Carellâ(TM)s, but not in abundance; so you wonâ(TM)t be able to talk about the film and reminisce for weeks, but there just about many for the film to be satisfactory. But I feel that success of the film is not its humour but its heart. Steve Carellâ(TM)s performance attracts sympathy from all around, creating a sad film more than a funny one.

All credit must go to Steve Carell, for turning this, Iâ(TM)m just going to go out and say it, a fairly amusing film to a quite sad and actually quite funny romcom. Props to Steve Carell.