Leading Ladies: August 2005

The 40-Year-Old Virgin

Stars: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd
Director: Judd Apatow
Rating: R

It's a rare thing when there's an almost unanimous opinion among film critics, but that's the case this week with Virgin, in which Steve Carell manages to charm female critics with his quirky but endearing brand of humor.

The Los Angeles Times's Carina Chocano says the movie, cowritten by Carell and director Judd Apatow, "takes a premise that, in less competent, less empathetic hands, would have had the depth of a pancake, gives it a soul and turns it into a surprisingly sweet and funny ode to male friendship and middle-aged love." Adds the Chicago Tribune's Allison Benedikt, it's "as funny and outlandish as it is touching."

The New York Times's Manohla Dargis says "even a starring role in the American version of the British show The Office, which has given Mr. Carell a higher profile, conveys neither his sheer likability nor his range as an actor, both crucial to making this film work as well as it does."

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Carrie Rickey says that "in conceiving [the 'virgin,' Andy], Carell and Apatow find a balance between the salty and sweet, prurient and puritanical," and USA Today's Claudia Puig says "The 40-Year-Old Virgin is consistently funnier than the summer's next-best comedy, Wedding Crashers. It's closer in spirit to zany, good-natured films such as There's Something About Mary and The Jerk."

Female consensus: The 40-Year-Old Virgin makes a great date

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