Hi, I am going to come back to Ciao after a long time away so it will be fun meeting you all again a...
Hi, I am going to come back to Ciao after a long time away so it will be fun meeting you all again and now i have more time available to me i can get back into it. xxx
Member since:20.06.2005
Reviews:93
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Me, my sister and my boyfriend really do love a good slapstick comedy and when the 40 year old virgin came out at the cinemas we did want to go and see it but in the end we just decided we would wait for the video. Fast forward to just after Christmas and I actually went out and bought it and we all sat down to watch it and this is what we thought.
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So what's it all about?
(Reading from the back of the box) 40-year old Andy Stizer has done quite a few things in his life. He's got a cushy job at an electronics superstore, a nice apartment with a proud collection of action figures. But there's just one thing he hasn't gotten around to doing yet…Andy's never, ever had sex - not even by accident. A big deal?
Well, for Andy's buds at the store, it sure is. Although they think he's a bit of an oddball, they consider it their duty to help Andy out of his dire situation. But nothing works, until he meets Trish, a 40-year old mother of three. Andy's friends are psyched by the possibility that 'it' may finally happen…until they hear about an amazing arrangement between the two lovers.
Verdict on the story:
Honestly this is a brilliant story and I am sure so true in many ways. Any lad that I know is embarrassed if they have stayed a virgin until they are twenty which is sad in my eyes because it is not something that should be given away lightly. Nevertheless they are men and this story gets across how excruciating it must be for a man to be a virgin at forty. From the pretending he has already done it, to the embarrassment and nervous feeling of the prospect of doing it, this story hits all the right spots.
Also this story shows how men would react to a guy like Andy and it is funny that the subject of sex brings a group of men together who otherwise would not be close friends. It also gets over to the viewer
how important sex is and that there may be some men out there who cherish their virginity like most women do. I think that although this story is very funny and is made to make you laugh, it does have some very good underlying themes such as you don't have to rush into anything and nobody should make you feel bad about your life choices. In fact the story does become heart warming a little.
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Cast:
Steve Carell - Andy Stizer. Catherine Keener - Trish. Paul Rudd - David. Romany Malco - Jay. Seth Rogen - Cal.
Verdict on the cast and characters:
I have to say that Steve Carell is cast wonderfully in this film and he is one of the funniest men I have seen apart from Jim Carrey. At first I was thinking well nobody can pull this role off but then along comes Carell and he makes you believe what he wants you to believe. Also Catherine Keener who I had not seen in anything else until I watched this is a wonderful actress and her comedy timing is perfect. Keener and Carell literally bounce their lines off of each other and as actors they work extremely well together.
As far as characters go I think that Andy is a very funny man and very noble too. I think the fact that he hasn't rushed into anything is inspiring and because he has been getting older and is still a virgin he feels even more nervous about sex and the character is loveable because you really want him to just do it. I think my favourite characters though have to be his work pals as they are just so funny and are just so male. I think you look at their characters and how they like beer, sex, games and basically taking the mick out of each other and they are just like the male stereotype.
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Verdict on the special features:
The first is a commentary with the director and co-producer and to be honest for a comedy film the commentary is not that funny. Sure it is interesting to hear exactly how the film was shot but I like comedy and this commentary was not enough to keep me entertained.
You know how I know you're gay is basically going back over the scene in the film but it is just a little extended so to be honest you do not need to watch it again. Sure it is funny but I was disappointed because I found it funny the first time but the joke wears thin fast. It only lasts five minutes but is not worth the effort.
Andy's fantasies is quite funny and basically shows you Andy's fantasies so I am guessing they are parts of the film that they decided not to put in. Again though like the gay feature above when you have just watched this film they are not worth watching so give it a little time to watch this one. Plus there are only two fantasies so not that exciting.
Cal and Paula again give you parts that they filmed and did not put in the final cut. This gives his store boss and mate talking about Andy and other rude stuff. Again not funny if you have only just watched the film.
For the deleted scenes there are six in total and they are quite interesting and ok to watch straight after the film but they are not too interesting though. Do watch out for the one entitled 'rooftop confessions' though as that is ok.
The next few special features advice from Mooj, waxing doc, date a palooza, line-o-rama and dinner with stormy again are just like scenes that have been cut from the film. They are all ok but I just don't understand why they didn't just put them al as one feature as it seems like you have loads but they are all the same thing.
The gag reel is the first decent feature I come to as lets face it watching actors really mess up their lines is funny and these actors are hilarious. It only lasts a few minutes but I was laughing hysterically as it was that funny.
There are also Skeleton Key and Serenity trailers just in case you want to see a trailer for some other decent films.
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Things you should know:
Price - £14.99 on mason but I got it for £9.97 from WHSmith. Certification - 15. Runtime - 116 minutes. 1 Disc DVD.
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Overall verdict:
So I think the story is great, the cast are wonderful and the characters are quite memorable so why have I only given the DVD three stars?
My first complaint about this film is that the jokes do wear thin. My favourite part of this film is when you see two of the mates sitting playing computer games and telling each other 'you know how I know you're gay' and yes it is funny but then five minutes later when they are still doing it you are thinking well come on now lets get on with the actual film and stop wasting time.
My second complaint about the film is that it is just way too long and I am sorry but it goes on for practically two hours which is way too long for this sort of comedy. An hour through the movie my sister said we are only half way through and we all groaned because it felt like it should be ending soon. This fact actually made us watch the time a bit when we were watching the second hour so we didn't really enjoy it as much as we could.
My third and final complaint is about the special features and that they are very poor for a DVD. Many of them are just like deleted or extended scenes and there are no interviews or making of so to me they are a bit boring. The best one I could see in my eyes was the trailer for Serenity and that is only because I can't wait to see it again.
All in all though this DVD does get three stars because the film did keep us all watching and it has got some very funny parts in. I am disappointed in the film though because I was expecting more so I couldn't justify giving it any more than three stars. I would rent this DVD rather than buy it if I were you.
Thanks for reading.
xxx
p.s. this is on other review sites by me.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
I love Steve Carrell - his facial expressions crack me up - great review!
venice105 27.03.2006 17:02
Nice review, explained what you did and didn't like very clearly. I agree it was overlong but I did enjoy it otherwise. :-) If you liked Catherine Keener in it you might want to check out her other films, she stars in quite a few indie films and is one of my favorite actresses.
:-) Steff
g-virus 17.03.2006 18:06
excellent review! E!
cant wait to see this one!
james x
Cult comic actor Steve Carell--long adored for his supporting work onThe Daily Showand in ... more
movies likeBruce AlmightyandAnchorman--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-o...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Cult comic actor Steve Carell--long adored for his supporting work onThe Daily Showand in ... more
movies likeBruce AlmightyandAnchorman--leaps into leading man status withThe 40 Year-Old Virgin. There's no point describing the plot; it's about how a 40 year-ol...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Cult comic actor Steve Carell--long adored for his supporting work onThe Daily Showand in ... more
movies likeBruce AlmightyandAnchorman--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-o...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Better Late Than Never 40-year old Andy Stizer (Steve Carell) has done quite a few things ... more
in his life. He's got a cushy job at an electronics superstore, a nice apartment with a proud collection of action figures. But there's just one thing he hasn't g...
![40 Year Old Virgin (XXL Version) [DVD] [2005]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78513583.jpg "40 Year Old Virgin (XXL Version) [DVD] [2005]")
![The 40 Year Old Virgin [HD DVD] [2005]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/77954054.jpg "The 40 Year Old Virgin [HD DVD] [2005]")
Feb 20th, 2006
exceptional by (6%):
very helpful by (94%):
