The 40-Year-Old Virgin

Infobox Film
name = The 40-Year-Old Virgin


caption = Theatrical release poster
director = Judd Apatow
producer = Judd Apatow
Shauna Robertson
Seth Rogen
Clayton Townsend
Steve Carell (executive)
writer = Judd Apatow
Steve Carell
starring = Steve Carell
Catherine Keener
Paul Rudd
Romany Malco
Seth Rogen
Jane Lynch
Elizabeth Banks
music = Lyle Workman
editing = Brent White
distributor = Universal Pictures
released = August 19, 2005
runtime = Theatrical cut
116 min.
Unrated cut
133 min.
country = USA
language = English
budget = $26,000,000
gross = $177,378,645
website = http://www.the40yearoldvirgin.com/
amg_id = 1:318215
imdb_id = 0405422

"The 40-Year-Old Virgin" is a 2005 comedy film written and directed by Judd Apatow and co-written by the film's lead star, Steve Carell, though the film itself features a great deal of improvised dialogue.Commentary track for the unrated DVD version of the film.] It also stars Catherine Keener, Romany Malco, Seth Rogen (who was also the co-producer) and Paul Rudd, as well as featuring Leslie Mann (Apatow's wife) and Nancy Walls (Carell's wife) in small roles.

The film received its general U.S. theatrical release on August 19, 2005 and was released on region 1 DVD on December 13, 2005. [ [http://imdb.com/title/tt0405422/dvd DVD details for "The 40 Year-Old Virgin"] from IMDb]

Plot

Andy Stitzer (Steve Carell) is the eponymous 40-year-old virgin. A very well-meaning, highly neurotic, somewhat stereotypical nerd, Andy lives alone, collects action figures, enjoys video games, framed a poster of eighties rock band Asia, and his social life seems to consist of watching "Survivor" with his elderly neighbours.

Andy works in the stockroom at an electronics store called SmartTech. His co-workers include the affable David (Paul Rudd), who is tormented by memories of his old girlfriend Amy (Mindy Kaling); the burly Cal (Seth Rogen), a novelist and stoner; and Jay (Romany Malco), a self-styled ladies' man. When a friend drops out of a poker game, they reluctantly invite the withdrawn Andy to join them. Andy turns out to be surprisingly good at poker due to his playing the game online, but when the conversations turns to past sexual exploits, they quickly realize Andy is still a virgin, and resolve to help him lose his virginity.

Andy is at first reluctant to go along with them, but after a heartfelt talk with David, he agrees to give it a try. The gang’s efforts prove to be unsuccessful. They take Andy to a bar, where Jay advises him to hit on drunk women, but this backfires when the girl Andy leaves with drives the two of them home drunk, wrecks the car, and vomits on him. Jay recommends that Andy get his chest waxed, but Andy finds it so painful that he leaves halfway through (Steve Carell actually had his chest hair removed during the scene and stated in an interview on Australia's "Rove Live" that the scene was unnecessarily painful because the waxers forgot to oil his nipples.). David gives Andy his "big box of porn" to help him "loosen up" sexually, but to no avail and later they all go to a speed dating lunch, with no success, and at which David encounters ex-girlfriend Amy, sending him into a downward spiral of depression. Later, Cal advises Andy to be mysterious when talking to women, which results in Beth (Elizabeth Banks), a bookstore clerk, taking a liking to Andy. Andy starts to open up and true friendships begin to form with his co-workers, Andy impresses his boss, Paula (Jane Lynch), with his salesmanship and she promotes him to floor manager.

Eventually, after Jay hires Andy a prostitute who turns out to be a transvestite, Andy tells them that he is taking matters into his own hands, and he lands a date with Trish Piedmont (Catherine Keener), a mother of three who works in a store across the street from SmartTech. It is later revealed that one of Trish's kids has a kid too, making Trish a "hot grandma" according to Cal. Andy and Trish's first date goes well, and they almost end up having sex, but Andy can't figure out how to use a condom, and they are interrupted by Trish’s teenage daughter Marla (Kat Dennings) outraged at the fact that her mother is allowed to have sex, yet she isn't. On their next date, Andy decides to tell Trish he is a virgin, but just before he does so, she suggests that they postpone having sex, to which Andy enthusiastically agrees; they decide they won’t have sex until their twentieth date. Meanwhile, David's brush with Amy prompts him to become unstable and eventually resort to celibacy, citing Andy as an inspiration, while Jay’s girlfriend breaks up with him when she finds out he’s been cheating on her, leading him to an argument with an obnoxious customer. Andy comforts Jay who reveals his breakup with Jill and advises Andy that sex can ruin a relationship.

Jay's girlfriend realizes she is pregnant and takes him back; and Cal hires an attractive young woman named Bernadette to work in the stockroom in order to lure David out of celibacy.

Andy and Trish’s relationship is a strong one, with Trish even convincing Andy to sell his precious collectible action figures in order to raise enough money to open his own store. While at work, Andy is promoted to floor manager because of his surprising talents as a salesman. Things are going well until Andy and Trish finally reach the twentieth date, at which point Andy panics and they have a big argument which ends with him storming out. He turns up at a nightclub where Jay is celebrating his girlfriend’s pregnancy, and proceeds to get very drunk. Cal walks over and asks Andy how many drinks he has had to which Andy replies, "How many pots have you smoked?". Andy runs into Beth at the bar, and they leave for her apartment. Meanwhile, David finally relinquishes his celibacy and hooks up with Bernadette, and Trish’s daughter Marla (who found out that Andy is a virgin) convinces her to go and make up with Andy.

At Beth’s apartment, while she gets in the bathtub and proceeds to masturbate with a vibrating shower head, Andy sobers up and starts to have second thoughts. Then, his three friends arrive at the apartment to talk him out of it, so he leaves with them to make up with Trish (although Cal stays behind to hook up with Beth). When Andy gets home, he finds Trish waiting for him; she has found his big box of porn, and now considers Andy to be some sort of sexual deviant, and leaves in disgust. Andy chases her car on his bike (to the music of “Heat of the Moment” by Asia), and gets involved in an accident which results in him being thrown through a two sided billboard truck and landing on the road in front of traffic. She rushes to his side in concern, and he finally confesses to her that he is a virgin. She realizes this is why he has been acting so strangely, and they kiss.

They end up getting married with everyone in attendance, with a sidelong mention of Andy's action figures having sold for a total of half a million dollars, and finally consummate their relationship on their wedding night. Andy finally loses his virginity with Trish in their hotel room. The film ends with an over-the-top "Hair"-style musical scene in which the cast of the film sing and dance to the song “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In”.

Cast

* Steve Carell as Andy Stitzer - The 40-year-old virgin
* Catherine Keener as Trish Piedmont - Andy's girlfriend, a "hot grandma"
* Paul Rudd as David - A coworker
* Romany Malco as Jay - A coworker
* Seth Rogen as Cal - A coworker
* Elizabeth Banks as Beth - A book store employee
* Leslie Mann as Nicky - A drunk girl whom Andy picks up
* Jane Lynch as Paula - The manager
* Gerry Bednob as Mooj - A coworker
* Shelley Malil as Haziz - A coworker
* Kat Dennings as Marla Piedmont - Trish's daughter
* Jonah Hill as eBay Customer - Wanted to buy shoes with gold fish in them
* Marika Dominczyk as Bernadette - Was hired by Cal so David could date her
* Mindy Kaling as Amy - David's ex-girlfriend
* Mo Collins as Gina - A former lesbian who's trying out speed dating
* Steve Bannos as Father at Restaurant
* Kevin Hart as SmartTech Customer
* Nancy Walls as Health Clinic Counselor
* David Koechner as Safe Sex Group Dad
* Cedric Yarbrough as Safe Sex Group Dad

Reception

Critical reception

The film received largely positive reviews: Rotten Tomatoes declared it the "Best Reviewed Comedy of 2005", [ [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/features/rtawards/index_2005.php?genre_intro=yes&genre=200003 Best Reviewed Comedy of 2005] from Rotten Tomatoes] with 84% of 160 critics giving it a "fresh" review. [ [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/40_year_old_virgin/ The 40-Year-Old Virgin] from Rotten Tomatoes]

Ebert and Roeper gave the film a "two thumbs up" rating. Ebert said, "I was surprised by how funny, how sweet, and how wise the movie really is" and "the more you think about it, the better "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" gets". [http://tvplex.go.com/buenavista/ebertandroeper/mp3/050815-40_year_old_virgin.mp3 review on "Ebert & Roeper"] in MP3 format] The pair offered minor criticisms, with Ebert describing "the way she (Catherine Keener as 'Trish') empathizes with Andy" as "almost too sweet to be funny" and Roeper saying that the film was too long. Roeper later chose the film as the tenth best of 2005. [ [http://tvplex.go.com/buenavista/ebertandroeper/060102.html Ebert & Roeper, The Best of 2005 ] ]

Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the movie an A-, saying that Carell "plays him [Andy] in the funniest and most surprising way possible: as a credible human being."

Manohla Dargis of "The New York Times" called the film a "charmingly bent comedy", noting that Carell conveys a "sheer likability" and a "range as an actor" that was "crucial to making this film work as well as it does." [ [http://movies2.nytimes.com/2005/08/19/movies/19virg.html?ex=1153368000&en=ac42cc9a7086bbc9&ei=5070 Losing His Innocence, Not a Minute Too Soon] , an August 2005 review from "The New York Times"]

In December 2005, the film was chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the ten best movies of the year, the only comedy film to be so recognized (though the comedy-drama "The Squid and the Whale" was also chosen).The film was also ranked #30 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies".

Box office

The film was a summer hit, and opened at #1 at the box office, grossing $21,422,815 [ [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=40yearoldvirgin.htm The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) ] ] on its opening weekend, and stayed #1 the following weekend. The film grossed a total of $109,449,237 on the domestic market, and $67,929,408 overseas, for a total of $177,378,645. The film was 25th in gross globally, and 19th in the U.S that year.

Trivia

The AHA withheld its "no animals were harmed..." disclaimer due to the accidental deaths of several tropical fish used in the film. [cite web|url=http://www.ahafilm.info/movies/mr.phtml?fid=7682|title=The 40 Year Old Virgin-Rating:Monitored, unacceptable|publisher=American Humane Society]

DVD release

An unrated version of the film was released on DVD. It features additional and extended scenes which add 17 minutes to the length of the film (that were cut from the theatrical version to avoid an NC-17 rating).

Unrated scenes

* A heated argument between Jay and Mooj over a "poached" customer
* A poker scene with alternate dialogue
* A scene where Andy sees sexually provocative photos on magazine covers at a newsstand (one showing Katherine Heigl)
* A flashback scene featuring a young Andy's struggle to remove a girl's bra
* A longer version of a scene at a bar where Andy picks up a drunk woman
* Andy fast-forwards through sex scenes featured in a pornographic film, then imagines its star (Stormy Daniels) talking to him, with clumsy sex talk in a voice that turns into his own
* Andy's boss Paula tells Cal that she would have sex with Andy "in a New York minute"
* Mooj complains to floor manager Andy about the shifts he's been assigned, then talks to Andy about the upcoming end to his series of 20 sex-free dates with Trish (Catherine Keener)
* David sells a television set to a customer who enjoys the Michael McDonald DVD that David has long tired of. When the customer asks David if he can throw in the DVD should he buy the TV, David gamely replies "You don't get the set, I'll throw in the DVD!"
* Andy and Beth have a "Who's on First?"-like exchange featuring the word "butt"
* An extended argument between Jay and a customer (Kevin Hart) at SmartTech
* Extended dance scene at the end of the movie

Commentary track

The unrated version included a feature-length commentary track featuring Apatow, Carell, Rudd and several other members of the cast. Atypically, the commentary was recorded before the film opened. The track is as explicit as the film's dialogue: at one point the commentary track producer sends in a note to Apatow asking for "less semen, more emotion" in their comments.

The commentary mentions the following:
* The film originated in a conversation between Apatow and Carell on the set of "Anchorman". Apatow asked Carell if he had any ideas for a film of his own and Carell pitched a couple - the second pitch, which led to the film, came from an idea that dates back to Carell's "The Second City" days.
* The studio was worried that Andy looked like Jeffrey Dahmer, a comment that led to multiple improvised references to Andy's similarity to a serial killer.
* Adam McKay is credited with the idea of having Andy's buddies talk while they broke fluorescent tubes. This is not a recommended practice, as the broken fluorescent tubes expel toxic mercury vapor.
* To be sure they got the coverage they needed of the body waxing scene in one take, four cameras were used simultaneously. Carell revealed on American Top 40 that the actress who portrayed the waxer lied about having waxing experience in her resume.
* The production used over a million feet of film, a milestone reached on the last day of filming and recognized with free champagne by the company providing the film stock. [http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/642/642426p1.html Interview with Steve Carell and Paul Rudd] - from IGN]
* According to Apatow the origin of "Boner Jams '03" (pornography compilation tape) came while Apatow was a writer on the 1994 film "Heavyweights". Apatow stated while sitting around with the other actors after dinner actor David Bowe asked if they wanted to watch porn. Bowe played a compilation tape of porn which thus inspired Apatow to introduce it in the film.

The amount of improvised dialogue in the film was so significant that co-writer Apatow half-jokingly questioned the legitimacy of his writer's credit.

The commentary is not included on the R2 version of the DVD. [ [http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=8306 DVDcompare comparison] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.the40yearoldvirgin.com/ Official site]
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* [http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/40_year_old_virgin.pdf Screenplay] at The Daily Script

Box Office Leaders USA
before = Four Brothers
date = August 21
date2 = August 28
year = 2005
after = The Transporter 2