www.40yearoldvirginmovie.co.ukDir: Judd Apatow
Cast: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen
His mates take the piss
You're gay if you like Coldplay
he gets his cock wet
What? Oh, come on, I'm hardly spoiling the ending for you; there's not going to be a sequel called The 41 Year Old Virgin. As if. Anyway, I watched Anchorman again recently and it reminded me what a gifted performer Steve Carell is, he really stole the show from Will Ferrell. After his stint as David Brent in the American version of The Office, he now has his first headlining role as The 40 Year Old Virgin. Andy (Carell) is a loner who works in an electrical store. When he bonds with his work colleagues during a poker night, talk turns to their sexual conquests, and Andy's secret soon comes out - he's still a virgin. His new friends David (Rudd), Cal (Rogen) and Jay (Romany Malco) make it their mission to get him laid, and educate him in the ways of wooing a lady. Whilst all this is going on Andy strikes up a friendship with a local trader, Trish (Keener), and gradually they get romantically involved - but of course, Andy is terrified about his virginal status and causes all kinds of mayhem. At the heart of this film is your typical rom-com story arc - boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl back again. Around that is a series of gross-out gags (yes, more scenes of vomiting) and un-politically correct humour from the lads. In fact, at times the movie seems more like a series of sketches linked together, and at nearly two hours long it's apparent that director Apatow was reluctant to leave anything out. Whilst the film does ramble a little at times, there's no denying that much of the humour is very funny, particularly the dialogue from Rudd, Rogen and Malco - the scene in which David and Cal sit playing computer games accusing one another of being gay is like vintage Newman & Baddiel and seems largely improvised. Carell, perhaps surprisingly, plays his role a lot more understated that you'd expect, and is often the straight man in this comedy team, but Andy is a likeable character and always fun to watch. After a summer largely devoid of decent celluloid comedy, The 40 Year Old Virgin comes as a guilty pleasure - just don't expect a sequel.
soulmining rating: ****
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