Not a hint of class, but leaves nothing to the imagination!

Rating: 7/10 (3 October 2005)

Steve Carell has made his way into the world of comedy with his natural ability to create a lovable and yet near pathetically awkward character, and his first solo venture onto the silver screen is no exception. "The 40 Year Old Virgin" provides Carell with a chance to show deeper dimensions (which, ironically seem almost more shallow) to his particular character, as opposed to his rare and laudable role as Brick Tamland in "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy." The child trapped in a man's body motif works well with Carell's sense of humor, which, in turn, is pretty much exactly what Brick Tamlan was. This is where the movie lost points. The beauty of Carell's character in "Anchorman" was that his one-timer lines added just the right amount of completely random and yet necessary humor at key points in the movie. In short less is more. However, with Carell's most recent movie, the writers chose to basically use those bits of genius over and over until they lost their glorious appeal. To my pleasant surprise, Carell does seem to make up for the repetition with some real character. No longer is Steve Carell in the background, but rather in the spotlight, and he adjusted his style accordingly. Unfortunately, Carell's acting ability could not save the movie from its extremely vulgar stretches of humor. There are many scenes of obscene and overworked bits of attempted comedy that do nothing but offer a chance for the viewer to adjust in his seat and look around. Overall, the movie has its shining moments, spearheaded by the talented Carell, but the supporting characters are puppets that offer cheap giggles but add no real substance to the movie. Although mainly still portraying an awkward character, Steve Carell showed some promise of being in more serious roles. I recommend that all those skeptical of the movie's worth rent a copy at the local video store and sit down with a couple friends, and at least have a good time with some friends.