Jungfrau (40), männlich, sucht… (2005)

Jungfrau (40), männlich, sucht…: Directed by Judd Apatow. With Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Romany Malco. Goaded by his buddies, a nerdy guy who’s never “done the deed” only finds the pressure mounting when he meets a single mother.

“Something about the 40 Year Old Virgin and the other comedy hit of the summer, Wedding Crashers, is similar, but they are two different films in some respects. Both are romantic comedies that have that kind of over-the-top, crazy sensibility that keeps the teens and guys in their 20u0026#39;s along with the usual dating crowd to go see the films. Both have some sort of formula to the stories as well. But by the end of the 40 Year Old Virgin, I think I found overall it was more satisfying than u0026#39;Crashersu0026#39;. Although one can guess where the relationship story with Steve Carrellu0026#39;s character Andy and Catherine Keeneru0026#39;s character Trish will go to, it isnu0026#39;t too basic for one to figure out like with Crashers, and the characters both leading and supporting are realistic, more rounded than most of the one-dimensional or unexplained people in the other. And, perhaps, it may also depend on how much you identify (or just find the lunacy) in both.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe thing is some people may go into The 40 Year Old Virgin not knowing Steve Carrell as well as Owen Wilson or Vince Vaughn, as Carrell has built up his cult status on The Daily Show (one of my favorite shows on now) and in small but unforgettably riotous roles in Anchorman and Bruce Almighty. This is his first starring role, but itu0026#39;s not treated like some third rate vehicle. He and co-writer/director Judd Apatow treat the character of Andy with a certain level of sincerity that keeps the audience on his side all the way, even early on as he talks to his action figures while re-painting them. Itu0026#39;s also a tricky line to walk on- in lessor hands this could be no more or less entertaining than the Lackluster 40 Days and 40 Nights with Josh Hartnett (also about sexual dysfunction). As the title suggests, Andy is the 40 year old who is like the nice guy friend with still a little Pee-Wee Herman in him (the opening over the credits of his his apartment is hilarious, a good sign).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSo, his friends (among them Paul Rudd, Romany Mancoy, Seth Rogen, all very good comic foils) try and devise different strategies and tips to finally break the sort of curse over Andyu0026#39;s head to pop his cherry, so to speak. He almost gets with a overly drunk woman, he almost gets with a freaky kind of girl, and almost with his own boss (Jane Lynch, also very funny in the mockumentaries) as a (explitive) buddy. But this soon all starts to fade as he gets into a meaningful relationship with Trish, who works across the street from him. As they build on a relationship not based at all on sex, one might worry that the plot gear of u0026quot;how is he going to tell her such and suchu0026quot; might get in the way of the comedy. It doesnu0026#39;t. In fact, if anything, Carrell and the cast build on it to a very high degree. For practically an hour and a half of the filmu0026#39;s two hour length, there was barely a moment I wasnu0026#39;t laughing, whether big or small.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe big laughs though make up for not just any kind of formalities with the plot, or one or two little stray stories (the fellow co-workers have their own relationship problems as well, Ruddu0026#39;s being the funniest). The big laughs come through because of Carrellu0026#39;s reactions, and that the people around him can either back up with their own sort of humor/charm, or that its with some truth. Keener gives a very good performance and makes it so that there is a genuine spirit to their relationship (and, un-like u0026#39;Crashersu0026#39;, there isnu0026#39;t as much that doesnu0026#39;t make sense character wise). For someone like me who loves it when a comedian can get laughs just from the way he looks on his face, Carrell gets very high points here. And like with a Farrelly brothers movie, the more raunchy or outrageous scenes are done with total absurdity; the u0026#39;waxingu0026#39; scene (which was done for real, by the way) and the sort of Aquarius musical number towards the very end of the film (the way it comes out at first is a total, uproarious surprise). But if youu0026#39;re willing not to get offended by it, thereu0026#39;s more where that came from. This is one of the funniest films of the year.”