Belated Movie Review: Just Like the Loss of the Character's Virginity

The last movie I saw before I left on the road trip was the quite good FORTY YEAR OLD VIRGIN. Despite being essentially one joke, this Steve Carell (THE OFFICE, THE DAILY SHOW) star turn delivers consistent laughs throughout. Carell is charming and hilarious and avoids all the easy nerd stereotypes to give a very detailed performance as the title character. He also benefits from a truly entertaining supporting cast, who could almost carry the show on their own. And I'm like who are these guys? Other than Catherine Keener (who is always good) you'd be hard pressed to find another actor with name recognition. The trio of men who coach Carell through his quest all have their own little take on love and relationships giving the movie several different approaches. Each one was so detailed I found myself looking forward to a DVD of deleted scenes to see more of them. Keener is very good and the very real. She always seems to be as able to pull off drama in the midst of comedy as comedy in the midst of drama. Carell also comes across a couple very hilarious misfires in the dating world, including the hilarious Barnes and Noble pick-up of "Beth."

The movie kind of peters out at the end with a movie-cliche chase type scene, and the very very end feels lifted right out of another movie, but it was not enough to keep me from smiling. I recommend the movie for anyone who felt pressure to 'lose it,' fans of Steve Carell, movie goers who don't want to think too hard, and anyone with a secret stash of action figures hidden away. Rick's Rating: A-