"The 40-Year-Old Virgin" could have easily been nothing but a sophomoric sex film, but with the help of good writing, a great cast and actual emotion in the film, it emerged as something different. It had too much of a heart to just be a gross-out comedy, and it had too many raunchy jokes to just be a film you'd take a date to.
Even without a real niche, the film became a huge hit over the summer and the unrated version of the DVD is a fitting package for the unique kind of movie that "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" proved to be. The extras highlight the best parts of the film and are actually worth watching, which isn't true of every film out these days.
Steve Carrell, previously known for playing news anchors on "The Daily Show," "Bruce Almighty" and "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," plays Andy Stitzer, an action-figure obsessed guy who also happens to be a virgin. When his co-workers find out that he hasn't been with a woman, they do all that they can to help him. He ultimately starts a relationship with the "hot grandma," Trish (Catherine Keener) and learns a lot about sex and what makes relationships work.
The film features a great cast, with especially funny work from Paul Rudd and Seth Rogan as two of Andy's friends. Catherine Keener makes Andy's love interest Trish a multi-dimensional character, which is impressive since she could have easily been the stereotypical movie girlfriend. Steve Carrell, usually over-the-top in his comedy roles, does a surprisingly good job playing the shy, quiet straight man.
The film isn't heavy on plot and shamelessly uses some of the jokes that one would expect in a film about a 40-year-old virgin, but it also has some truly original moments. For every expected bad date and awkward sex scene, it also has some surprisingly real things to say about love and dating.
One of the best - and most painful - features on the DVD is the "Waxing Doc," which chronicles the now infamous scene in which star Steve Carrell actually had his chest waxed into a "man-o-lantern" for the movie.
Other extras included extended takes of such scenes such as "You Know How I Know You're Gay," "Andy's Fantasies" and "Cal and Paula," all of which include commentary and a few other extended scenes without comments.
The scenes, especially the clearly ad-libbed "You Know How I Know You're Gay" scene, are actually worthy of making it into the actual film. The bloopers, as with most films, are predictable but worth watching once.
The "Line-O-Rama" feature is one of the more unique additions to the DVD. It shows alternate jokes that didn't make it into scenes that are in the film. "My Dinner with Stormy," another extra, features Seth Rogan, who plays Cal, on a date with porn star Stormy Daniels, who is featured in the film. There is also commentary on the entire movie from Carrell and writer/director Judd Apatow.
Overall, "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" is a hilarious movie with a surprising dash of heart added to the mix. It doesn't have an extremely complicated plot or premise, but with a great cast, some fantastic jokes and some actual commentary on relationships, it does a great job with what it has.
