The 40-Year-Old Virgin - 2nd September 2014

Tuesday Night is Film Night is back after the summer holidays! We haven't been totally film-less, we have popped to the cinema to catch the new Inbetweeners movie, plus we had a lazy Sunday afternoon in watching Tom Hanks in Angels and Demons. However, as neither of these were a Tuesday, they don't count!

So what cinematic delight do we have tonight, we hear you cry? Well, we are going to kick off September with some comedy and;

The 40-Year-Old Virgin

So there we have it, film done and it really was quite good and funny. The plot is pretty much self explanatory, just look at the title!

Steve Carrell heads up the cast in this Judd Apatow directed comedy that focuses it's attention on Andy (Carrell) and his intact virginity. Andy works in an electrical store by day and in a nerdy, 40 year old loner pretty much the rest of the time. It's only after he is coerced into going out with some of the lads at the store, for a poker game, that his lack of sexual acrobatics is revealed, so to speak. Therefore, like all good friends, they make it their mission to help Andy fulfill the deed.

Paul Rudd plays David, Romany Malco is Jay and Seth Rogen plays Cal, who all work in the store with Andy and are the three main contenders to assist the reluctant sexual wannabee into bed. These three really supply the comedy lines throughout this 1 hour and 16 minute escapade. Although Carrell even though he is portraying a nerdy, introverted, toy collecting virgin, is also very funny, mainly in the way that he tries to come out of his shell and copy the verbal style of his store colleagues, as he tries so very hard to fit in, but it clearly isn't happening, as Andy is Andy.

There is of course a serious love interest that develops alongside the main thread, in the shape of Trish played by the wonderful  Catherine Keener (last seen here at TNiFN in Captain Phillips). And it is the sub plots that add layers to the film that makes it more entertaining and you really are not sure which way it will go for Andy, although as the story develops you are rooting for him to get with Trish, despite all the other diversions put in his way by his over zealous colleagues.

All in all The 40-Year-Old Virgin is a pretty good film, very funny, a good story from the combined pens of Judd Apatow and Steve Carell and a decent cast providing the on-screen laughs.The comedy is not over the top, it's subtle in places and sits well with what inevitably is the romantic side of the story. It is a good mix of the two but settling more on the comedy side of the rom-com balance, in fact it's more like a comedy-romance. Com-rom anybody?

As for the scores, The 40-Year-Old Virgin manages to get up........

TNiFN Rating 70%

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IMDB Link