A funny and original movie

Rating: 7/10 (5 August 2009)

When The 40 Year Old Virgin came out in 2005, it was a big deal. No one expected people for it to be as funny as it was, and it introduced the world to Judd Apatow and his gang. Apatow would go on to direct better movies, but this was a solid film directorial debut for him.
The reason this movie works so well is because it is so raunchy and crude, but at the same time sweet and heartfelt, and it takes a strong talent to make those two aspects come together in a believable way. Apatow is the one to pull this off, and he does it quite well.
The characters are strong and believable, and this is what makes the film work. Andy, played by Steve Carell, is a 40 year old man who lives by himself and has never had sex. He is quite nerdy and lives in his own world, spending his nights singing karaoke to Word Up. He meets Trish, played by Catherine Keener. She works at the store across from Andy's, and the two fall in love. At first all Andy wants to do is get in her pants, but once she puts on a no sex rule, the relationship aspect comes out, and he starts caring more about her than the sex. It plays out well, and becomes quite cute and heartfelt as the movie goes on.
The supporting cast is good, consisting of the now famous Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd. They play Andy's immature buddies who gode him on to have sex. They add something nice to the story, but it is Andy (and Steve Carell) that outshines his supporting group.
The writing is sharp and witty, the only downbeat part of it being that it could be quite long. At 133 minutes, the film drags in a few areas, and some of the scenes could be considered too long and painful to watch, such as the scene where Jay and Mooj battle over commission. It is long and unneeded, and some scenes in the film scream editing.
The only part of the movie that needs working on is the length, but apart from that, the characters are full and rich and the story progresses into a more heartfelt vehicle than it started out as. It is fun and enjoyable to watch as the characters go on, but Apatow would outdo himself in his next project.