Year: 2005
Accolades: One of the AFI's Top Ten Films for 2005
Review on Letterbxod: 'The 40 Year Old Virgin' review by Avalanche
For a film that could have been a pretty grotesque, politically incorrect attempt at comedy, there's actually a pretty sweet undertone to it all. Andy's a pretty nice guy, and while he sees through all the attempts his friends make at getting him laid, he knows that they mean well even if they are hideously mistaken in their advice.
Comedy is a pretty subjective thing, and I didn't find myself laughing all that much throughout the film. That being said, it's still well written and has a certain charm to it even if you don't laugh at every joke. Carrell and his entire supporting cast are all wonderful and provide unique characters that are endearing even if they make life decisions that we don't always agree with.
But there is only so much time that you can hold up the premise of this film, and towards the end the long running joke that binds the plot together starts to get worn out and I found myself wanting things to move on. The final act is a bit of a muddle, and the final couple of scenes enter the downright bizarre. The soundtrack, prominently featuring contemporary music, starts to get a little too noticeable, as does the constant insertion of films onto the television screens in the store where Andy works.
While I can't say with total confidence that I enjoyed the film, I certainly respect the film. It's not just a well made film, but helps reassure us that comedies can actually be clever, original, and charming. It may not have been the one singular film that dragged “high profile” comedies back out of the gutter from where they seemed to have been for many years, but it certainly feels like it was one of the films that helped.
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