A Pleasant Surprise

Rating: Null/10 (4 November 2007)

I put off watching this movie for a long time because I assumed it was going to be crass. But it's not. It's well written and, dare I say, surprisingly sweet and touching. I couldn't for a moment imagine anyone other than Steve Carell pulling off the title role of Andy, the guy who has indeed managed to reach forty without getting laid, certainly a feat worthy of a movie in 21st century America. He brings a unique combination of integrity, humor and honesty to the role which actually makes him quite believable. Catherine Keener likewise is perfectly cast as the single parent Trish, who hasn't quite given up on the hope of finding a nice guy. She's attractive and sexy but actually looks like a fully grown woman not a teen supermodel, and we are spared the usual wishful thinking of Hollywood that 40 year old men and 18 year old women are a natural fit.
Andy is a little nerdy but certainly not lacking self awareness. Sitting in his neat apartment, surrounded by his collection of still-boxed (virgin?) action figures, his video games chair and his toy soldiers, he knows something is missing in his life but doesn't quite know what to do about it. His life is not unpleasant, but he's just treading water, wondering what comes next. As played by Carell, he comes across as a nice guy, not a sad loser, and it would have been so easy to reduce this story to that of a sad loser. I'm glad the writers resisted that temptation. Andy's not a middle aged virgin because he is unattractive or dumb, or lacking a libido, but almost because he is too nice. Things just never quite worked out with girls when he was younger, and gradually as the years crept by, it got harder and harder to change the status quo. His colleagues at work, on discovering his pristine, still-boxed condition, are determined to get him laid and throw every cliché in the book at him, trying amongst other tricks, to teach him how to pick up drunks in bars. Some scenes are funnier than others.
The colleagues and other supporting cast are mostly stereotype figures, the horny female boss, and the foul-mouthed "lads" who love 'em and leave 'em (and who, surprisingly, come across as the real losers.) But when he actually meets Trish, a potential partner, and gets a date, Andy manages to rise above them all, forming a genuine relationship as he and Trish take time to get to know each other, before he has to reveal the truth to her. The ending is fairly weak, but the whole movie was a pleasant amusing interlude mid week after a stressful day at work, and I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would. I guess I have no excuse not to rent Knocked Up now, do I? I doubt it will be this cute.