Product Details

• Language: English, French, Spanish
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (443 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 1417074507
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #522,593 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Cult comic actor Steve Carell--long adored for his supporting work on The Daily Show and in movies like Bruce Almighty and Anchorman--leaps into leading man status with The 40 Year-Old Virgin. There's no point describing the plot; it's about how a 40 year-old virgin named Andy (Carell) finally finds true love and gets laid. Along the way, there are very funny scenes involving being coached by his friends, speed dating, being propositioned by his female manager, and getting his chest waxed. Carell finds both humor and humanity in Andy, and the supporting cast includes some standout comic work from Paul Rudd (Clueless, The Shape of Things) and Jane Lynch (Best in Show, A Mighty Wind), as well as an unusually straight performance from Catherine Keener (Lovely & Amazing, Being John Malkovich). And yet... something about the movie misses the mark. It skirts around the topic of male sexual anxiety, mining it for easy jokes, but never really digs into anything that would make the men in the audience actually squirm--and it's a lot less funny as a result. Nonetheless, there are many great bits, and Carell deserves the chance to shine. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 2nding the notion that the unrated version pales in comparison to the original, January 25, 2006

By 

Ignatius Reilly "Oregon East Man" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Unrated Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

This is one of the funniest movies I've had the pleasure of catching at a movie theater in a long time. I thought I was purchasing more laughs for my buck buying the UNRATED version, but much to my disappointment this is definitely a case of MORE is LESS. The added scenes do nothing to enhance the original; in fact, I'd say 90% of these added scenes should have been left as "deleted scenes." They hurt the comedic pacing of the original. If you thoroughly enjoyed the original at the theaters, stay away from this unrated version. In fact, I'm so disappointed in this unrated version, I'm tempted to buy the r-rated "original" version even though it only comes in full screen (why the original is unavailable in the widescreen format is also cause for this fan to roll his eyes in disbelief).

43 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 40-Year-Old Virgin's review..., March 9, 2007

By 

Erik Olson "Seeker Reviews" (Ridgefield, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Unrated Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

My first viewing of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" was late in its theatrical run. By then it had been banished to the smallest theater in the multiplex, so me and (I assume) the only other middle-aged virgin in town were its sole audience. I wish I'd seen it sooner, because it's now one of my all-time favorite comedies.

Forty-year-old Andy Stitzer lives a comfortably regimented singleton life - similar to the main character from "About a Boy," except chaste, uncool, and with no internal monologue. He works in the service department of Smart Tech, a Circuit City-like electronics store. One day, a couple of coworkers ask him to be the fifth man at a poker party. He accepts, but during the game is outed as a virgin. The rest of the movie revolves around his friends' outrageous attempts to get him hooked up, along with Andy's determined efforts to overcome his fear of women and woo Trish, an attractive customer who owns an online auction store across the street.

This could easily have been another lowbrow copulation comedy. However, it's much better than that. Steve Carell (also a co-writer) does a fine job of making Andy into a sympathetic character. Indeed, I easily identified with his motivations and actions: the bad experiences that led him to forsake dating, his escape into fantasy, and even the mundane activities he uses to fill his solitary life. Andy's friends are also intriguing because they represent flawed approaches to women. David (Paul Rudd) is obsessed with a gal who dumped him years ago, Cal (Seth Rogan) objectifies females, and the serial cheater Jay (Romany Malco) can't commit to his longsuffering girlfriend.

The movie has been lengthened in this DVD edition by 17 minutes with additional and extended scenes. As for DVD extras, this edition is packed with a decent assortment. Deleted scenes like Andy's public karaoke debut added depth to the characters. A series of outtakes include the usual blown lines, gaffes, and laughing fits. The lively commentary contains interesting bits of trivia on the filmmaking process. However, it was a bit too crowded for my taste (just about everybody shows up), and Seth Rogan has a tendency to dominate the proceedings. Unfortunately, Catherine Keener is a glaring absence. Her portrayal of Trish is excellent, and I really wanted to hear her perspective. Finally, the other featurettes, such as the waxing scene "making-of" bit, are stock, but passable.

Although it's somewhat raunchy, as a Christian I have to commend "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" for a single crucial thing: it's the only mainstream movie I know of that makes chastity until marriage look like a grand idea. That alone is enough to recommend it (even if my pastor disagrees). But the humor, story, characters, and performances are also worth the watch - especially if someday, like me, you hope to sing "Age of Aquarius" on your honeymoon.

181 of 234 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One Very Smart, Dumb Movie, August 20, 2005

By 

Robert W. Barnwell "BobTheCopywriter" (Starkville, MS, United States) - See all my reviews
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Surprise, it's a morality tale disguised as a sex comedy.

Imagine you combined a few of the best parts of Something about Mary, 40 days and 40 nights, Sideways and ( as strange as it might sound) an after school special. Now, throw in more profanity than really necessary and imagine that the combination worked.

Plus, unlike the Josh Hartnett film, 40 days and 40 nights, there is some actual thought given to the kind of person who is shown.

It's not Shakespeare. It's not Once Upon a Time In Mexico. And it's not the Usual Suspects, but for what it is it works.

And what it is, is the smartest dumb movie I've seen in a very long time.

Among its many surprises, is you have a peer group of men who actually look out for each other.

You also have an attractive grandmother who is not the standard cookie-cutter grandmother.

These are just two of the many departures from the expected that make this anything but the one-note comedy that the commercials make it seem like.

The 40 year-old is cut from the same cloth as Steve Martin's early masterpiece, the Jerk, and as someone in his thirties, it's refreshing to see a funny movie, where the main character is not a 20-something.

Plus, the soundtrack is a surprising combination of some of the forgotten treasures of pop and broadway.

Perhaps, the best of all, it's nice to be reminded that everyone is running on their own schedule in life.