Plot: What’s it about?
Is it sad or funny that I found more than a few parallels between Steve Carells character and myself? Ok, dont answer that. In all honesty, we dont have that much in common, moreover his “main” problem in the movie. But hes an individual and set in his ways, too. “The 40 Year-Old Virgin” is just that, a movie about a man who has tried, and failed, to have intercourse with a woman. The movie is a comedy, but Im sure there are a lot of men (and women) who can relate to the concept. The movie was written by Carell and actor/writer Judd Apatow who have conglomerated on several other projects together. Ill be honest, this “Unrated” version had me laughing but I can see where the audience might be a bit limited. The humor is sophomoric (another reason I liked it, I suppose), the gags are physical and the plot a bit predictable. Theres something very genuine about Carells performance that makes it that much more believable.
Carrell plays Andy Stitzer, a salesman at a local “Circuit City” type of store and whose only friends are his co-workers. Now dont feel sorry for Andy, hes a perfectly nice guy whos perfectly happy doing what hes been doing. In a late-night poker game it comes out that Andy has never had sex and his friends are out to change that. They try speed dating, the bar scene and even prostitution to help Andy accomplish his goal but with varying degrees of success. As fate would have it, Andy meets Trish (Catherine Keener) who works across the street (Ill sell your stuff on eBay) and the two start to date. After a failed first attempt at sex, the two decide to wait it out and “do the deed” on their twentieth date, leaving plenty of breathing room for Andy to get prepared. All the while Andys buddies are trying to get him prepared for sex by any and every mean possible.
“The 40 Year-Old Virgin” hits a few chords here and there and managed to make me laugh out loud on more than one occasion. This “Unrated” version contains about 17 more minutes than the theatrical version and since I never saw the movie in theaters, I dont know whats been added though I have a few guesses. Amidst the pratfalls of a regular comedy, this movie succeeds were others have failed. Steve Carell may not be a Brat Pitt or Tom Cruise, but he delivers a sincere and underrated performance that was just what the movie called for. The supporting cast of the movie is what makes it work with plenty of eye candy for the men out there and proof that it’s not always looks that women look for in a guy. In conclusion, Id have to say this is a movie worth seeing though Im a bit puzzled by the closing sequence. Ill have to check out Milos Foremans “Hair” again to see if I can catch the reference(s). Recommended.
Video: How does it look?
“The 40 Year-Old Virgin” comes to Blu-ray in a 1.85:1 VC-1 HD transfer that improves upon the earlier standard DVD. I had remembered a few errors with the original standard DVD and thankfully, those have been fixed for this new version. The film was also on HD DVD and after a brief comparison, I’d have to say that the picture quality on both HD formats is nearly identical. I noticed a lot more detail in this Blu-ray version and wouldn’t you know it, that’s the point of seeing things in HD. Now I will say that this seemed a bit off in some parts, almost like it’s one of those movies that just really wasn’t “made” for HD. Yes, it looks good and colors are very vibrant but to me it was like watching an HD movie on cable, where you felt there was just a tad bit more potential in terms of the picture. Still, it’s an improvement over the previous version and viewers should be happy with that.
Audio: How does it sound?
The previous Dolby Digital 5.1 track has been replaced by an uncompressed DTS Master Audio mix and it does make a bit of a difference. The movie wasn’t really made with dynamic sound in mind, though the highlight from the movie is still the drunk girl driving the car. Dialogue is the prevelant aspect of sound here and it sounds rich and full coming through the center channel. The ending credits do light up the track a bit but on the whole, this is a bit better than average. It’s certainly nothing to do with the Blu-ray itself, it’s just the way the film was made.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Universal’s Blu-ray has both the rated and unrated versions of the movie on the same, dual-layered disc. Personally I felt the unrated cut was just a tad bit too long and seemed to drag on a bit, but it’s all subjective. We get a commentary track with Carell, Director Judd Apatow and the cast. There is a lot of chuckling here, mainly all of the guys laughing at themselves, but theres a lot of information to be gleamed from this as well. Little things about the movie and the screenwriting process which make the track nearly as funny as the movie itself. Also included are some deleted scenes with optional commentary by Apatow and some extended versions of scenes already in the movie. “Line-O-Rama” is a sequence of scenes in which different lines are used in an existing scene (that appeared in the movie). You have to see it to understand what it is, but it got a chuckle or two out of me. There were four cameras that filmed the infamous “Chest Waxing Scene” and we get to see it from every point of view. “My Dinner with Stormy” shows Actor/Producer Seth Rogan (Cal) as he meets with Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, telling her about her role in the film. Universal has also ported over some additional supplements from their previous special edition of the movie. We get some early auditions, rehersals as well as a campy sexual education film, a gag reel and Cinemax’s Final Cut: ‘The 40-Year Old Virgin’. Universal’s U-Control is also present here with some picture-in-picture footage shown throughout the movie that’s rapidly becoming the standard for all Blu-ray’s. Fans will want this Blu-ray to be part of their collections, no questions about it.
