The 40-Year-Old Virgin

Steve Carell is hardly new to acting for a wide audience. He's been in well over 20 movies and TV series since 1991. You may remember him from Anchorman, Melinda and Melinda, The Office (TV), and Bewitched, not to mention his ongoing role as a correspondent on TV's The Daily Show. However, this is his first major role as the lead character and not merely a cast member in an ensemble.

Carell plays a 40 year old man with a secret, and you don't need to guess what it is if you know the title of the film. When his secret slips out to his buddies, they vow to help him get his dipstick wet without the aid of K-Y Jelly or Astroglide.

All of these guys profess to know the ways of women and seduction and give him one bit of bad advice after another. (The one exception, possibly, is the "Just ask question...women love to talk about themselves" advice, which leads to two hilarious bits with a very sexy Elizabeth Banks (Spider-Man, Catch Me If You Can, Sea Bisquit, Spider-Man 2, Heights, to name a few recent roles).

Some of their advice is good, though, and should be borne in mind by male audience members who seem to have trouble landing girls, such as the advice to get rid of some of the boyish posters for lame bands and the numerous action figures (still in the original packaging of course), which are scattered throughout his apartment.

In the meantime, he has a chance encounter with the owner of a local small business named "We Sell Your Stuff On EBay" who actually shows some interest in him, since she gives him her card and invites him to visit. This character is played by Catherine Keener, who despite being in her 40's manages that klutzy, warm, and homely sort of charm that some people possess.

While the boys are dragging him into clubbing situations and buying a hooker for him (who turns out to be a transvestite), he slowly warms to the Keener character, although he does have to overcome the resistance of her older daughter. How he charms her is one of the better scenes in the movie.

This movie is quite funny though it really does earn its "R" rating with foul language and even fouler sexual references (I certainly heard a few new terms). The opening scene, in fact, shows how shuffling to the bathroom with a morning boner. Some people may even feel a bit uncomfortable due to their empathy for Carell's character, who he plays as an extremely sincere guy who'd make a great dad.

I think most people will enjoy this film. If you're not such a person, I think I've given you enough clues here to stay away from it. Me? I found it quite enjoyable though of course, like most comedies, it probably won't be remembered at Oscar time.