Starring:
Steve Carell as Andy Stitzer
Catherine Keener as Trish
Paul Rudd as David
Romany Malco as Jay
Seth Rogen as Cal
Elizabeth Banks as Beth
Leslie Mann as Nicky
Jane Lynch as Paula
Gerry Bednob as Mooj
Shelley Malil as Haziz
Kat Dennings as Marla
Chelsea Smith as Julia
Jonah Hill as eBay Customer
Erica Vittina Phillips as Jill
Marika Dominczyk as Bernadette
Special Features:
17 minutes longer
You Know How I Know You’re Gay? (with Optional Commentaries)
Andy’s Fantasies (with Optional Commentaries)
Cal & Paula (with Optional Commentaries)
Advice from Mooj
Deleted Scenes (with Optional Commentaries)
Waxing Doc
Date-A-Palooza
Line-O-Rama
My Dinner with Stormy
Gag Reel
Feature Commentary with Director / Co-Writer Judd Apato, Actor / Co-Writer Steve Carell
Other Info:
Widescreen (1.85:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Dolby Digital 2.1 Stereo
Spanish and French Subtitles
Running Time: 133 Minutes
Synopsis:
Andy Stitzer is a genuinely nice guy who collects action figures, is into comic books, and plays video games. Unfortunately, he has no real social life. So when his co-workers find out one evening over a game of poker that Andy is 40 and still a virgin, they make it their mission in life to find him a woman. This actually sounds easier than it is. Andy had a couple of traumatic sexual encounters as a young man and finds himself incredibly nervous at the prospect of having sex with a woman.
After several disastrous attempts to hook up with various women, Andy eventually finds Trish, the woman of his dreams. But what will happen when their relationship inevitably progresses to the next level?
This version of The 40-Year-Old Virgin is not rated, but the theatrical version was rated R for pervasive sexual content, language and some drug use.
The Movie:
The 40-Year-Old Virgin is kind of two movies in one. The first half is a really, really raunchy guy movie filled with lots of language, sexual humor, and all sorts of perversion. The second half of the movie is a sweet romantic comedy that is fairly tame. Despite the two different styles, they end up working well together. I’m ashamed to say that I laughed at some of the raunchy stuff and I was also amused by the tamer stuff as well. There are a ton of great lines in this movie that you can count on being quoted well after the movie leaves theaters.
I was really expecting this movie to make fun of comic book geeks and virgins, but that wasn’t really the case. Sure, there is some lighthearted jesting, but I never felt that the jokes were malicious. If the jokes weren’t sympathetic to these folks, then they were jokes they were making about themselves. (Like how toy collectors are obsessed with keeping toys mint in the package.) The movie also ends up having a message about how obsession with sex can ruin a relationship and how waiting, even for 40 years, can be worth it for someone you love. So in the end the 40-year-old virgins come out looking pretty good despite being the butt of the joke in the movie.
Steve Carell really proves that he’s leading man material as Andy Stitzer. In the same way that Will Ferrell was a lovable buffoon in Elf, Carell is a lovable geek in this movie. Carell makes Andy geeky without ever being an idiot and sympathetic without ever making him pathetic. He also provides a scene that will probably go down in cinematic history. Carell gets his wolfman-like chest actually waxed on screen. He lets several profanity filled tirades rip and you actually see blood pooling on his chest. I guarantee it will make every person watching it cringe. Talk about sacrificing your body for comedy.
As fun as Carell is, this movie would have been nothing without his strong co-stars. Paul Rudd is amusing as David, the heartbroken and bitter co-worker of Andy. Romany Malco plays Jay, the ladies man of the group. Seth Rogen plays Cal, the most adventurous of the group. Together the three represent almost all the aspects of the horny male psyche. It’s quite hilarious to see them give Andy a mix of good and bad advice. But not to be outdone, the ladies in this movie also deliver a lot of laughs. Leslie Mann is memorable as Nicky, a drunken woman with a terrifying side that Carell only discovers when it’s too late. Elizabeth Banks is also memorable as Beth, a girl with a freaky side that woos Andy. But best of all is Catherine Keener as Trish, Andy’s love interest. I’ve always thought she was a great actress and she’s quite funny in this role.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin also has a fun soundtrack. I can’t remember the last time I heard the Theme from Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not). Also included are Joe Walsh, Smokey Robinson, Asia, James Brown, Chaka Khan, Lionel Richie, Survivor, and more.
The biggest stumbling block for The 40-Year-Old Virgin is that it is really crude and has a lot of profanity. You’re either OK with this or you’re not. I think Steve Carell is really funny and the writers are really talented, so I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do with material that’s less risqué. Maybe then their audience won’t be as limited as it will be with this subject matter.
This particular edition of The 40-Year Old Virgin us unrated and has 17 extra minutes added to it. A couple of the major scenes feature more of Mooj, the Indian salesman. He has a lot more amusing racial banter with Jay. Another scene shows Andy calling a Viagra help line about how to get rid of a long lasting erection. His discussion with the poor Indian help-desk operator is quite funny. There’s also more nudity added to the film. One scene features yet another bad encounter that Andy has in his youth while another scene shows him fantasizing about a porn star. The added nudity actually makes the film raunchier than its theatrical release but it doesn’t make it any funnier.
If you like raunchy comedy, then The 40-Year-Old Virgin delivers. Steve Carell proves just how funny he is. Hopefully this will be a springboard to more big screen roles.
The Extras:
There are quite a few bonus features included on this DVD. Here are the highlights:
You Know How I Know You’re Gay? (with Optional Commentaries) This is a longer version of the scene between Cal and David where they are obviously ad libbing. If you liked the scene in the film, you’ll enjoy this.
Andy’s Fantasies (with Optional Commentaries) These are two deleted scenes from the film. The first shows Andy fantasizing about porn star “Stormy” flashing her breasts, and everything else for that matter, at him. A second fantasy scene shows him dreaming about the local newscaster stripping and having sex with him. Both have lots of nudity and, if they had been included, would have transformed the tone of the film to something even raunchier than it was.
Cal & Paula (with Optional Commentaries) In this scene Seth Rogen as Cal and Jane Lynch as Paula ad lib in a scene where they discuss Home Depot, sex in the workplace, and anything else that the random discussion might lead them to.
Advice from Mooj This is a longer version of the scene where Andy’s Indian co-worker throws out more slang terms for sex acts.
Deleted Scenes (with Optional Commentaries) This is a batch of short scenes all thrown together. The first shows Andy’s drunk driver date forcing him to trade seats with her in the car when they are pulled over by police. Needless to say it doesn’t go well. There’s also a long karaoke scene where Andy gets up and sings a show tune (I think). Another deleted scene shows the lead characters talking about their worst sex experiences.
Waxing Doc This featurette shows how they filmed the scene where Steve Carrell gets waxed. It’s funny to see his reaction before and after. Oddly, he didn’t think it was going to hurt all that much.
Date-A-Palooza This is an extended version of the speed dating scene. There are many more women and a lot more of the ones shown in the theatrical version. The most funny is David’s ex-girlfriend reacting to the fact that almost every guy there is a friend of David’s. She starts to think he set up the whole speed dating service.
Line-O-Rama This is a montage of clips showing all the various takes the actors did with alternative lines of dialogue. There are a surprising number of them.
My Dinner with Stormy In this featurette, Seth Rogen who plays Cal and is a co-producer on the film has dinner with porn star Stormy (who was cut from the film). She shocks him by whipping out her breast and showing that there’s a picture of him on it.
Gag Reel This is your standard gag reel with flubbed lines, practical jokes on the set, people cracking up, and more.
Feature Commentary with Director / Co-Writer Judd Apato, Actor / Co-Writer Steve
Carell It’s not advertised, but several of the other cast members also take part in the commentary. They have all sorts of funny comments about the filming and they add a lot of jokes of their own. It ends up being a very funny commentary.
The Bottom Line:
As raunchy as The 40-Year-Old Virgin is, this unrated version is even raunchier. If you’re into that sort of thing, you should be pleased. If you’re looking for tamer fare, you’ll want to look elsewhere.
