Carell Carries Side-Splitter

As much as “Anchorman” aficionados and “Daily Show” devotees are eagerly awaiting this weekend’s “The 40 Year-Old Virgin,” there is sure to be some trepidation. With the risk of Steve Carell’s leading-man debut and the hit-or-miss perils of sexual comedy, “Virgin” could easily crash and burn. Fans of Steve have nothing to fear, however, since the comedy keeps striking hot in a relationship with the big screen you want to consummate again and again.

For every potential pitfall, Carell and Director Judd Apatow have an answer. Cliché humor like a white man speaking ghetto? Carell’s delivery assures new amusement, fo’ sho. An over-the-top portrait of the graying virgin? The movie portrays an awkward individual you might actually see walking down the street. Creating a stream of jokes about sex that are only there for shock value? Carell and Apatow have co-written a continuously raunchy comedy that pushes more buttons than “Bad Santa” and is consistently side-splitting.

Carell is Andy, who stars in the film’s title role. Andy lives in an apartment full of friends (in other words, collectible action figures) and works at Smart Tech, a Circuit City-style store. When his co-workers David (Paul Rudd), Cal (Seth Rogen), and Jay (Romany Malco) learn his about his embarrassingly uneventful sexual history, they set out on a mission to get Andy laid. Andy is reluctant but starts to think about conquering his sexual anxiety when he meets Trish (Catherine Keener).

To try to find a joke suitable for print in “Virgin” is quite a feat, although most of it results more from the timing and rhythm of gifted comedians than from the language itself. When Trish asks Andy whether a white round tablet is a date-rape drug, his reply—“It’s a mentos. They’re the freshmaker”—is given substance by Carell’s gentle little-boy-parlance.

“Virgin” is most of all a reflection on its quirky but grounded creators. Carell comes from a background of delivering fake news, realistically presenting absurd topics. Apatow, who is making his feature-film directorial debut, is known for creating two generally acclaimed but swiftly cancelled shows, “Freaks and Geeks” and “Undeclared,” both of which offered wacky insight into the plight of teens and college students, respectively.

“Virgin” pushes the limits of reality, but the humor grows from credible origins. When Andy gets his chest waxed—one of the popular preview scenes—Carell goes the extra mile by actually having his own chest waxed. From the redness on his chest to his screams of pain, not to mention the sympathetic looks combined with laughter of the other men, we are seeing a true (that is to say, real) hilarious moment.

Despite Carell’s top-billing, this is much more an ensemble piece. It doesn’t hurt that Rudd, Rogen—who Apatow mined from the aforementioned TV shows—and relative unknown Malco are natural comedians. Rogen portrays the sarcastic semi-tough guy with just the right attitude. Rudd plays a sensitive but jaded and spurned lover/stalker as a combination of his character in Anchorman and just about every other nice-guy role Rudd does. Malco is given the hardest task—to portray the overused stock character, “playa’ and ladies man.” His performance makes you forget that you’ve seen this shtick before.

Keener is also perfect for naturally portraying a beautiful woman who isn’t beyond the reach of Andy. The rest of the cast (including Christopher-Guest-troop member Jane Lynch as Carell’s boss) satisfies the loon quota. “Virgin” rarely fails—an alcoholic driving scene is the only real miss—and it catches itself when it does.

Just as you think the tale has moved too far from the down-and-dirty into the happy-and-cutesy, the Carell-Apatow team triumphs with an undeniably awesome ending number.

Don’t be alarmed by the sounds of heavy panting coming from the “Virgin” screening, it’s only people trying to catch their breath from laughing so hard. And this is one movie they are sure to be leaving satisfied.

—Staff writer Margaret M. Rossman can be reached at rossman@fas.harvard.edu.