The-40-Year-Old Virgin was actor Steve Carrell’s big break as a leading man and writer/director Judd Apatow’s directing debut. A lot of people still consider it both of theirs’ best work. It was as surprising box office success for an R-rated comedy and now both Carrell and Apatow are big brands.
It’s hard to decode what makes some comedies great or more entertaining than others because humor is so subjective. If a film has good lines, good sight gags, and humorous situations all in one movie it is impressive. Memorable and likable characters really tie comedies together because they give everything context. I think the 40-Year-Old-Virgin has succeeds with verbal, slapstick, situational, and character humor.
The Set-Up
Andy (played by Carrell) is, like the title states, a 40-Year-Old virgin. He works as a stock supervisor in a Best Buy like store and still seems very naïve and childlike. He has hundreds of toys and videogames and still rides his bike everywhere. His co-workers find out he is a virgin and decide to help him lose his virginity. After some attempts at this he meets a divorced single mom (Catherine Keener) and they start dating. He tries to keep his virginity a secret from her, while his friends are still encouraging him to lose his virginity to someone else.
Why It’s Great
This is one of those movies were a lot of stuff is funny right away, while you watch it, while a lot of stuff is hilarious when you think about later. Carrell tells a painfully boring story about egg salad that is just one of the funniest things ever when you think about it later. It’s such a mundane, boring, and pointless story it becomes funny.
I don’t know if this movie would work without Steve Carrell. He’s totally believable as someone that naïve at 40. A lot of why the movie is so hilarious is his childlike reactions to adult situations.
Another reason it’s so entertaining is because of its cast. All of the actors work well of each other and are doing the same kind of comedy.
Like I said, it’s hard to say why a comedy is so entertaining. The comedy seems to work on all levels. I would recommend it to nearly anyone if you haven’t seen it before. But I would warn, it’s pretty raunchy, and definitely not family-friendly fare.