When this came out, I figured I'd see it on my 40th birthday. I jumped the gun by two days, because a friend and I were perusing HBO Max, which puts numbers first in otherwise alphabetical lists. I wasn't big on the world of Judd Apatow, but it seemed appropriate. Besides, I tend to find comedies more enjoyable with company.
In chatting about their sex lives, three electronics store clerks (Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, and Romany Malco) see through a weak lie by stock supervisor Andy (Steve Carell) and correctly infer that he's, well, the title character. They then throw everything they have into changing his status, whether he likes it or not. Fortunately, he develops an interest in nearby vendor Trish (Catherine Keener), who has her eye on him too. But she's no virgin, and he's having trouble mustering the nerve to tell her he is.
Andy's not an ace, hasn't taken a vow of chastity, and doesn't look less charming than Carell typically does. It's just that some disastrous near misses early on discouraged him. He's also very nerdy and introverted, which explains why he's not yet in the sales department. His nerdiness largely takes the form of collecting action figures and movie memorabilia and playing video games. He can be childlike in other ways, as by not drinking much or driving. He probably wouldn't hang out with anyone if they weren't co-workers. And when he gains confidence, his faux pases become less endearing.
Personally, I relate to him pretty darn well -- which may be more of a curse than a blessing when it comes to appreciating the movie. It seems like everyone besides Andy considers middle-aged virginity a problem to be solved, even tho he doesn't comes across as a miserable guy. They certainly don't make him less miserable by pushing him out of his comfort zone; I'd just as soon have Job's comforters. They also have questionable morals, such as in advising him to lose his virginity to someone he doesn't much care for in order to practice before he meets the right woman. They may accuse him of putting women on pedestals, but that's gotta be better than exploiting women. This is not to say that the trio are alike; they have their disagreements, not least when one of them (Rudd) moons over his ex (Mindy Kaling). But they're all less professional than the co-workers I've had in retail.
Arguably the worst character is the boss (Jane Lynch), but not for the reasons you might be thinking. She refuses to vary the store music no matter how strongly an employee complains. At the same time, she suspends an employee in a situation that would almost certainly get him fired if not arrested in RL. Most importantly, she repeatedly offers to be Andy's "f***-buddy." That's called workplace harassment.
The playing of such for laughs could be a sign that T40YOV is already a little dated. We get a few other signs, such as VCRs still on the store shelves, albeit getting phased out. When the buddies learn of Andy's virginity, they ask whether he's gay; nowadays, that probably wouldn't be the first thought, let alone the only one before reaching the correct conclusion. Then there's an element that I hope has faded in popularity: a man (Gerry Bednob) having a foreign accent for no more obvious reason than to be funnier that way.
As much as the focus is on sex, the R rating is not for exposure. It's for language, whether swearing or talking in explicit sexual detail. Good thing I'm resistant to losing my appetite in the face of grossness, because we were watching during lunch. (I made sure my friend was OK to continue.) The eventual presence of teens does nothing to temper the shock factor.
To my relief, the happy ending errs on the ethical side. It's also more assuring than the finale of many an Apatow production, perhaps thus precluding a sequel.
I just wish I could have enjoyed more of the humor along the way. Low-taste moments aside, sometimes I just felt like something was missing, such as in Jonah Hill's understated single scene. My friend laughed only slightly more than I did overall; we generally agreed on what worked and what didn't.
If T40YOV had impressed me enough, I'd take a chance on This Is 40 as a companion piece. Instead, I'd be content never to sample Apatow again.
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