Some guys would actually rather have an impressive toy collection than have sex.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
directed by Judd Apatow ("Freaks and Geeks")
written by Judd Apatow (Celtic Pride) and Steve
Carrell ("The Dana Carvey Show")
produced by Judd Apatow (The Cable Guy) and
Shauna Robertson (Elf) and Clayton Townsend
(U Turn)
starring Steve Carell (Bruce Almighty), Catherine
Keener (S1m0ne), Paul Rudd (The
Shape of Things), Romany Malco (The Tuxedo),
Seth Rogen ("Freaks and Geeks"), Elizabeth
Banks (Swept Away), Leslie Mann (George
of the Jungle), Jane Lynch (A Mighty Wind)
lowdown: A 40-year-old man tries to lose his virginity.
low expectation:
What do you get when you combine the teenage horndog comedy of Porky's or American Pie with the dumbass rom-com genre perfected by the Farrelly brothers? Just another gross-out, "no he didn't!" comedy for the college kids, I bet.
The difference is Carrell, who could hilariously follow in the footsteps of Jim Carrey, with whom he appeared in Bruce Almighty, except that he seems far less aggressive. Despite the expectation to carry this film, Carrell would probably be comfortable in supporting roles like his dim-wit weatherman character from Anchorman.
Once character actors begin starring in movies and become confined to a certain plot and have believable personality traits, they get soft. Otherwise they go too far over the top, as in the cases of Carrey, Jack Black and Robin Williams. Sure those guys can be funny, although their antics are highly overrated; but, the third acts of their wacky comedies hit rock bottom because the story has to take over. This is why the Marx Brothers were so great. They had all confinements. And the few times that they did, they failed. I miss the days when character actors were more satisfied with their position as pillars supportive of monuments rather than monolithic obelisks.
pro: Seth Rogen, far and away the funniest actor on "Freaks and Geeks" should be given more work.
pro: Apatow finally gets his film debut after two enjoyable television series.
pro: Featuring no special effects, Carell actually gets his back waxed on camera, putting the former realism king, Vittorio De Sica, in his place.
con: The script's main joke will likely not fill a whole feature any more than The Wedding Crashers' did.
website: The40YearOldVirgin.com
synopsis/press release:
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