The reason to love Steve Carell’s Andy is, in many ways, the same reason to love his movie “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” In one scene, Andy tries to impress his love interest’s young daughter by “pulling” an oversized quarter from her ear. It is a cute trick, until, as the movie points out, it means that Andy carries a large quarter and a plastic ear in his coat in the hopes of finding someone who would be impressed by the trick. “Virgin” works as a film in much the same way: it is a little off-beat but has a lot of heart behind it.
At Andy's core is a man who has simply stopped trying to grow up: he works in the back room of an electronics store, he spends his weekends making egg salad rather than going out, and his home is full of action figures. Eventually, his friends discover his secret (which you've probably already guessed from the film's title) and make it their goal to help Andy get lucky. His love interest, Trish, played to perfection by Catherine Keener, is just as apprehensive about jumping in the sack as Andy, albeit for other reasons. The plot might feel clich??, but Carell and company pull it off well.
What is most impressive about “Virgin” is what could have been a movie centering around one joke-especially when the joke is in the title-becomes a film with extraordinary amount of emotion behind the characters.
Judd Apatow, who co-wrote and directed the film, seems to realize the film does not demand that you take it seriously, but little by little the film inches toward respectability by being honest and endearing to its audience.
While Andy may be the least experienced of his friends, it is clear that he is not the only one confused and disoriented by sex. Andy’s friends, led by Paul Rudd, all have their hang-ups on the topic of relationships, from cheating to mourning a breakup.
Apatow, best known for loved-but-lost T.V. shows “Freaks and Geeks” and “Undeclared,” knows how to flesh out the best performances from his actors. Andy is a loser, but he is not like one that is common in movies like this; he has a soul and real emotions. Carell, who co-wrote the script, genuinely likes his character, and it shows.
Under Apatow, Carell brings the kind of performance that is reminiscent of a young Steve Martin, taking simple characters and making them three-dimensional and emotionally whole.
“The 40-Year-Old Virgin” is heartfelt, honest and refreshingly nice to watch, and delivers much more than one would expect from a movie with such a simple and otherwise formulaic premise. It is genuine fun and, just like Andy, delivers much more than meets the eye.
