Funny at times... But an overall letdown

Rating: 6/10 (19 April 2012)

Many argue that "The 40 Year Old Virgin" is hilarious or laugh out loud, but I argue otherwise. I will admit that this film had me laughing for the first half-hour to an hour. But after that point, it really just becomes a sappy love story with occasional humorous lines from Rogen and Rudd. Throughout the film, it felt as if it was trying to portray a message about love more than the actual humor. By average comedic standards, this may be worth seeing. But when compared against other Apatow films such as "Pineapple Express" or "Superbad", it honestly doesn't compare. One of the plus sides was the cast; putting Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, etc. all in the same film makes it at least moderately humorous. Although this is not one of Carrell's better roles, he still does a decent job for the first half of the film (especially the waxing scene). Seth Rogen always does a good job doing his usual stoner roll and Paul Rudd plays an interesting and humorous character. Probably the biggest downside was the second half. I don't if it it's just me and I should see it again, but after a certain point it becomes closer to a chick flick than it does an Apatow film. I could have done without all of the sappy parts and pretty much Catherine Keener altogether. If you are into heartwarming romances with predictable outcomes at nearly every corner, then go for it. But otherwise, this film has a lifespan of that of your average sitcom. To sum this up, I will definitely say this is NOT one of Apatow's best films and is highly overrated. "Superbad" has a similar cast and characters as well humor and it does a much better job at getting the exact same point across without prolonging an dull and sappy ending by over an hour. Overall, "The 40 Year Old Virgin" is basically a slightly funnier version of a Jane Austen book.