Mostly amusing and funny film that isn't overwhelmed by crudity even if it uses it

Rating: Null/10 (26 March 2009)

When it was released I never got round to seeing this film and it started to drift away into the mist of my memory until recently when I made an effort to catch it. The reason for this was partly the good things I had heard about it and also the fact that it sort of was the film that started the seemingly endless parade of Judd Apatow films. At times I think this is a good thing but then too often I find his films to be pretty base and lacking the imagination and wit I would like. I thought that perhaps 40 Year Old Virgin would be different because of it being his first hit as director. Of course the title should have given me pause to think on that but I went ahead anyway.
What I found was a film that has a bit of what I dislike about Apatow and also a bit of what I do. The plot is a simple one and does a typical soppy narrative that we have seen from him other places  crude laughs but ultimately love comes through. This allows for essentially a series of sketches where Andy attempts to break out of his rut with his "friends" guiding him on the way. Some of these are pretty funny and some of these are quite weak but mostly they are amusing. The only parts that really fell flat for me were moments of comic racism between a black character and an Asian character  these were not funny and they gave me an odd feeling given they were written by white men. Outside of this the film does have the "sex comedy" air of geek wish-fulfilment that again Apatow trades in  it does nothing for me this side of his work but I can understand why it does for others.
Part of the reason I did enjoy the film is Carell. Unlike Rogen's turns as leading man for Apatow, Carell has more "likeablity" to him and is also a much better comic. Where Rogen blunders Carell is subtle and clever. Of course we are still talking about a sex comedy so I'm not suggesting he is amazing but he is funny and his performance is bang on. Malco, Rudd and Rogen are good in supporting roles though and all three do this well. Keener works well with Carell to make this thread actually work reasonably well, while Banks is just left with looking hot and being sexy  which she does well enough for this film.
40 Year Old Virgin got rave reviews and continues to be looked back on fondly but I'm not seeing it myself. The comedy is crude at times but mostly it is amusing with only one or two failures along the way. It isn't hilarious and it is very much an Apatow film (which means good things and bad things) but is helped by the cast playing to their strengths (eg Carell in the lead, Rogen in support) producing a generally amusing and funny film that dabbles with but is never overwhelmed by crudity or geek wish-fulfilment.