Although the plot has a slightly thin premise, surprisingly this 2005 lightweight romcom works quite well. Following his show-stealing performances in Bruce Almighty and Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy, Steve Carell moved centre stage with a leading role. He plays Andy Stitzer, a 40-year-old electronics store worker, whose colleagues discover that he has never had a girlfriend and is still a virgin. They set about helping him to meet that special someone - by any means necessary.
Despite a few hit-and-miss gags and a feeling that the film is a shade too long, there are plenty of laughs throughout. Particular highlights include a less than conventional speed-dating scene and a legendary waxing scene that will make you wince.
What separates this from the stream of recent gross-out movies is the underlying sense of heart and sweetness as Stitzer chooses to wait for the right woman rather than lose his virginity with the less than appealing options that his friends present him with.
Underpinned by Carell's charming and likeable performance and a sense of originality lacking in other movies of this genre, this is one of the better comedies of recent years and well worth checking out.
The 40 Year Old Virgin is a Film programme that first aired in 2005 and has been classified a 15 certificate.
