The Big Four Oh, Been There

Rating: 10/10 (7 August 2005)

Although, I was never privileged enough to be treated to the preview, the movie poster for The 40-year-old-virgin was sufficiently sweet. Alone, Steve Carell looks up like a naive, optimistic virgin who has not entirely unveiled the world and expects the world from it. However, the movie reveals a different character. Steve Carell plays Andy Stitzer, who has altogether dismissed friendship and romance alike. Andy spends his time alone playing instruments and video games, but mostly painting and playing with collectible figures. At work he is sociable, but has difficulty connecting with his peers.
The story begins when the salespeople need another poker player to fill their quota. Though one player believes Andy' strange persona is surely a ominous sign, they have no one left to ask. After Andy's online poker experience forces one player to leave, the play stops and the workers attempt to know Andy better. The discussion turns toward females and Andy is called on to share his dirtiest moment. His discomfort is quite apparent and he simply repeats how dirty the girl talked. No one is convinced and someone insulting asks if Andy has had sex. Andy quickly denies these claims, but the others readily realize its truth and our story begins.
The other workers are quick to help and conform Andy. Though initially Andy is quite excited and willing, he soon grows weary of the chase. He has been accepting advice he does not wholly believe and since there have been no results, he no longer has to participate in these foreign belief systems. Andy has given up on eliminating his virginity and is perfectly content to resume life as it was. The reason this story appeals to me so is that I find conflict's necessity to story difficult to accept. Does every story have to have some pain to be interesting? Is life a series of large and small pains and would that be worth living? 40yov achieves a captivating story and almost too intelligent backdrop for many consecutive laughs. Andy does not accept the conflict. Only the other characters that support him see a problem, just as Chancey Gardiner, the lead in "Being There", Peter Sellers final film, was oblivious to his inability to fend for himself. The interesting question is which side the audience participates in. Certainly most more sexually active members of the audience that have great difficulty sitting still for two hours will side with the peers or strongly desire Andy himself. However, the audience will inherently accept Andy's view because he is the story. Thus, we are watching a film that has a brilliant, novel story, but rejects the urgency of the conflict. When Andy does not accept the conflict, the plot thins and we are no longer in an analytic film with normal cause and effect. The film takes a continental approach and the character is not pushed in any direction and picks its actions at leisure. Nonetheless, the modern, reflexive humor will appeal to most audiences.
One of the film creators must have been inspired by "Being There" because no film has used such a similar form to escape convention while simultaneously appealing to everyone since. The film is actually and literally a remake of "Being There", which is no small project and entirely unlikely to succeed. Chancey Gardiner is not allowed to leave his home until he is at least 60 years of age and those 20 years make quite a difference, but clearly the absurdity needed to be toned down. Chancey likewise has had even fewer people in his life, namely 2.3 composed of his adopter, nanny, and someone who fixed the wall. He is forced out of the home because a lack of documentation leaves him claimless to the house. He is forced into the world, while Andy has sidelined the world by choice and blithely so. 40yov can be labeled an intelligent recreation, since it rather drastically changes most elements of the film to where most viewers will not see the analogy and actual identity. I recommend a full pardon and fully condone the decision and motivation of the creators. I would go so far as to thank them for the exposure they will be giving to my favorite film of 7 years and creating a perfect experience for everyone.
The second part of the film takes a rather different approach. The story eases back into convention, while Andy struggles to fully understand normality. I am not going to elaborate this section, but Andy suddenly becomes quite fearful of how sex could ruin his first relationship. The filming is cheap, but neutral, never adding or subtracting from the key elements of the film. The set and costume designs demonstrated some mastery and enhanced how Andy's absence from the world has let him escape from it. Of course 40yov had a substantial amount of lessons, all of which were directly related to the film and valid. You may see some good Bergman, Jarmusch-Murray, and Van Sant masterpieces in the next few weeks, but they will have some serious competition in 40yov. Vote: 9.3