Pretty good

Rating: 8/10 (19 April 2017)

Fans of gross out movies will find plenty of laughs here, but ultimately this film does have a lot of heart and substance. One of the big jokes is that although 40yo virgin Andy (Steve Carell) is supposedly the socially inept one, all his friends who are advising him have disastrous love lives and don't know what they're talking about. The movie does poke a lot of fun at Andy as a nerd and a prude but it does have empathy that he's been traumatised by too many bad experiences and has given up on love. But one piece of good advice he does get is to take a few risks. Enter Trish, the saleswoman who works near Steve. She's played with great energy and wit by Catherine Keener. She is perfect for this role. Trish is a single mother of three girls does her best and makes mistakes, but does put herself out in the world and helps Andy get over his many problems. The supporting cast includes the hilarious Jane Lynch as Andy's blunt boss at the electrical store who can generate laughs just with a facial expression. As Andy's friends, Romany Malco, Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd's characters are all sleazy towards women at times, which jarred with me. Maybe the filmmakers were just portraying how clueless and inappropriate they are. As hopeless dates for Andy (one a drunk driver and the other a ditsy sex maniac), Lesley Mann and Elizabeth Banks contribute memorable cameos. The movie sometimes descends to smut - do we really need all those porn and toilet scenes? - but overall it's an entertaining and well meaning film. And the final scene is a real joy!