The 40-Year-Old Virgin DVD Review (Steve Carell) Empire Movies

THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN DVD REVIEW

The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Unrated)
(Universal Studios Home Entertainment)

The Movie

The Extras

Reviewed by

8./10

7/10

Liam

In The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Steve Carell plays Andy, and as the title would suggest, Andy is a 40-Year-Old virgin. Ouch. In a way, I can feel for the guy. I still remember being in my early 20s and being a virgin (yes I am a loser), but 40?! Did I say "ouch" already?

In a way, I could really relate to Andy in this movie -- as I suppose a lot of virgins could. I collect action figures. I know a thing or two about electronics. I used to be the laughing stock of my little group of friends -- but my friends always went above and beyond when it came advice on getting laid. I tell ya, it's tough being a virgin -- it's not all laughs as this movie would suggest. All the pressure -- the mockery -- people laughing behind my back. Just writing about it now I'm getting choked up. But this movie brought back some of the fun memories and, for just a little while, it made me forget my shame.

Anyways, back to the movie -- it was damn funny. Steve Carell was great. (Sure, he was funny in this movie -- but he also really proved to me that he wasn't just a comedian because I actually felt for his character at the same time.) But, a lot of credit also goes to the supporting players. Romany Malco and Seth Rogen as two of Andy's buddies from the electronics store were worth their share of laughs. And Catherine Keener as Trish, the object of Andy's affections. She's a little "old" for my tastes, but she was still effective. (If I were a 40-Year-Old virgin, I'd tap that ass!) But the real guy I tip my hat to here is Paul Rudd. How come this guy doesn't get more leading roles? He was great in this movie. And he was just as great in Anchorman, in which he also starred with Steve Carell. And yet he doesn't get nearly as much attention as he deserves?! The guy is great!! If you make movies an you're reading this review, cast the guy for crying out loud!!

If I had one complaint about this movie it'd be the ending. The whole "Age of Aquarius" musical number was just really out of place and made me stop the DVD a lot sooner than I would've liked. Is that really the best they could come up with?

As for special features, this DVD doesn't disappoint. We start with an audio commentary which includes Judd Apatow (writer/director), Steve Carell (who besides starring also co-wrote) and actors Seth Rogen (who also co-produced), Romany Malco, Paul Rudd, Jane Lynch, Gerry Bednob, Leslie Mann, Shelley Malil and Jonah Hill. I was expecting this commentary to be funny -- and I wasn't disappointed. But besides being funny, it also provided some fun behind-the-scenes stories about the making of the movie. From there, the DVD offers 6 deleted scenes (running just over 12 minutes) which for the most part were pretty worthwhile as well as 4 additional scenes (running another 12 minutes) featuring some alternately improvised scenes (and even a little nudity). Pretty much all of the deleted and extended scenes also come with commentary by Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen. More additional footage comes with "Date-a-Palooza" which is a longer cut of the same scene which made final cut, and "Line-O-Rama" which consists of 6+ minutes of alternate dialogue that again, didn't make the final cut. Additional features include a gag reel, a "Waxing Doc" which goes behind-the-scenes to the day the "waxing" scene was filmed with introductory and concluding statements by Carell about the experience, and "My Dinner With Stormy" where Seth Rogen goes on a date with a porn star.

Overall, I can't not recommend this movie. I mean, there's humor here for every taste. Yes, sometimes it gets a little raunchy, but if you can make it past that, the movie is a lot of innocent fun with some great laughs. Overall, it's a great way to waste a couple of hours and look back to the days when you couldn't score with the ladies if your life depended on it. Or, if you're still a virgin, the movie offers hope that one day you just might get lucky.

Features
Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Judd Apatow, Writer/Actor Steve Carell, Actor/Co-Producer Seth Rogen, and Actors Jane Lynch, Gerry Bednob, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Romany Malco, Shelley Malil and Jonah Hill, Deleted Scenes, "You Know How I Know You’re Gay?", "Andy’s Fantasies", "Cal and Paula", "Advice from Mooj", "Waxing Doc", "Date-a-Palooza", "Line-O-Rama", "My Dinner With Stormy", Gag Reel, Previews

Video
Widescreen (1.85:1)

Audio
English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0

Subtitles
English SDH, French, Spanish

Release Date
December 13, 2005

Rating
Unrated

Length
133 mins.

Email Liam About This Review:

Your Name:

Your Email Address:

The information entered on this page will not be used to send unsolicited email
and will not be sold to a third party. Please refer to our Privacy Policy.