Monday, September 05, 2005

I want your sex ... eventually: "The 40-Year-Old Virgin"

No one can deny that some movie titles just scream "crap." Let's see ... there were the Fat Boys in "Disorderlies," and who can forget Oscar winner Joe Pesci in "8 Heads in a Duffel Bag?" So when I saw the poster for "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," I cringed and thought, "They're going to have to sell me pretty hard on that one."

Well, I'm sold, baby. While it could have been shorter and shown less of the supporting roles, "Virgin" was pretty funny and, yes, even sweet at times. Better yet, it turned the spotlight on someone who has been hilarious as a bit player, giving him a chance to carry the water in a leading role.

I speak of Steve Carell, who did a lot with little screen time in both "Anchorman" and "Bruce Almighty." He also is the lead guy in the U.S. version of "The Office" TV show, which isn't as good as the BBC version but definitely stands above most of the other drivel being peddled as sitcoms these days. And some of you may even remember Carell from "The Daily Show," where his nimbleness -- is that a word? -- in going between deadpan and spastic was impressive.

(If that's not enough, I just learned that Carell is the voice of Gary for "The Ambiguously Gay Duo" cartoons on "Saturday Night Live." Now that's Emmy-worthy stuff, kids.)

Carell nails -- no pun intended -- the whole "old virgin" schtick, and the film does a good job of showing how this actually could happen and how someone could be a virgin that late in life and not be a total social retard. A shy geek, perhaps, but not totally inept. Of course, trying to get laid with the help of three goofball friends ... that's inept.

Like I said, "Virgin" goes on a bit long in tracking the quest to get Carell some action, even if the message -- that sex isn't everything -- does eventually come through. But we get a lot of funny scenes plus -- and this doesn't happen often -- some great little details to illustrate the time warp and innocence that plagues Carell's character. From the superhero collectibles ("They're not f*cking toys! This is Ironman, okay?") to the framed Asia band poster (which I spotted well before it was mentioned onscreen), director Judd Apatow -- the man behind the excellent but short-lived "Freaks and Geeks" TV show -- does a nice job with these subtle touches.

Finally, there's the chemistry between Carell and his love interest, Catherine Keener ("The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag"). Normally I'm not much of a Keener fan ... she's just too icy for me, playing the b*tch to perfection in "Your Friends & Neighbors," "Being John Malkovich" and "Living in Oblivion." Good actress? Sure. Fun to watch? Not so much.

But here we get Cathy's softer side, and it comes off well. It's not ruining anything to reveal she and our hero end up together, but it's not a cute, clean road, which I respect. Compare that with "Punch-Drunk Love," which was OK but left me wondering exactly why Emily Watson was into Adam Sandler. Here, Keener is more convincing, so much that I actually believed she was cool with dating a guy who rode a bicycle. "Hey, is that a banana seat or are you just happy to see me?"

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