30 minutes of laughs in 2 hours of celluloid.

Rating: 5/10 (16 January 2006)

To be honest, despite the appalling title (but at least it does exactly what is says on the tin), this movie is not a bad way to waste a couple of hours if there's nothing on TV. The premise is harmless enough (well, by modern standards), the performances reasonable and and writing marginally funny (though at points is bordering on offensive).
The main problem with this film is it is painfully mediocre in every way. It lacks the biting edge of There's Something About Mary, similarly the ability to push humour to the very edge of acceptability which saved potential disasters like Scary Movie is also absent. Considering the subject matter, this film just wasn't, well, extreme enough in any sense of the word.
While it's nice to see Catherine Keener on screen, this is a far cry from her genius turn as Maxine in Being John Malkovich. Her character is painfully sweet and nice, even when she is supposed to be losing it, and as a result she is likable and forgettable, just like Steve Carell, who seems acting's equivalent of mashed potato - filling and pleasant but ultimately bland.
Potential mines of comedic gold, such as Andy taking his girlfriend's daughter to a family planning clinic, veer away from potential jokes so as not to cause offence. We are supposed to accept that a girl pleasuring herself with a shower head is the height of kinkiness- this may have been so twenty years ago but now we can't see what the fuss is about. The only thing provocative about this film is its title.
We are confronted by scene after scene which could be axed with no scarring to the remainder of the film - conversations between Andy's co-workers which are not only irrelevant to the plot, but also completely unfunny and not even interesting, and as for the transvestite prostitute - talk about inexplicable!
That said, there are laughs to be had - usually to be found in the supporting characters who are unfortunately sidelined once they begin to distract from Andy's dull journey on his quest to lose his cherry. Andy's nymphomaniac iron-lady boss, his unbelievably bitter co-worker and his 'freaky' pot-smoking friend are all good for a giggle or two, but, like the rest of the film, lack enough oomph to pull the screenplay from its mediocrity.
The finale is also a complete farce - as if the screenwriters ran out of ideas and at 3am after smoking a lot of pot and wanting to head out for waffles came up with this claggy and utterly unnecessary denouement. I could have sat on a keyboard and produced a better close to this film.
See this movie if you find There's Something About Mary too offensive, and have two hours to spare. Otherwise, there are many better comedies out there.