Steve Carell’s 20-Year-Old Comedy Is Definitely a Product of Its Time (But It’s Still Funny)

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In the mid-2000s and early 2010s, Judd Apatow was a major force in comedy movies. After working as a writer and producer for years, he directed his first film, *The 40-Year-Old Virgin*, in 2005. This movie made Steve Carell a star and started a trend of successful, funny comedies that relied a lot on improvisation.

Though Judd Apatow didn’t direct a huge number of films himself, a group of actors – including Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, and Jonah Hill – became closely associated with his style. They often starred in and Apatow frequently produced their movies, creating a recognizable comedic world. With movie comedies becoming less common now, Apatow’s films and those made with his collaborators really capture a specific moment in film history. Revisiting *The 40-Year-Old Virgin* today, two decades after it came out, feels like opening a window into the past.

Why ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’ Feels Locked in 2005


The 40-Year-Old Virgin

If you’ve forgotten, *The 40-Year-Old Virgin* features Steve Carell as Andy, a man who works at an electronics store and mostly enjoys solitary hobbies like video games and model painting. He’s accepted the fact that he’s still a virgin and seems okay with it. However, after revealing this to his coworkers – Cal, David, and Jay – during a poker night, they decide to help him change that. Despite some awkward attempts, Andy starts to develop feelings for Trish, and he’s unsure whether to follow his friends’ advice or wait for a genuine connection with her.

Aside from clear markers of the era, like references to popular culture and Andy’s job at an electronics store, the film really captures the spirit of its time through its humor and how it portrays gender and sexuality. It’s the kind of movie that would have probably been labeled a “guy movie” back then, presenting a distinctly male perspective. The characters hold some outdated beliefs about sex and relationships, and some of the racial jokes haven’t held up over time.

Let’s be clear: a lot of the questionable behavior in this movie is on purpose. Andy’s friends aren’t exactly role models – Jay is a serial cheater, and David is obsessively fixated on his ex, Amy, to the point of stalking her. However, all of this contributes to a film that probably wouldn’t have been made at any other time, and whether that’s a good thing or not is up for debate.

It’s difficult to picture a modern movie being made the same way, with so much of it made up on the spot. The film famously used an enormous amount of film—over a million feet—because the director would keep the cameras rolling to capture all the actors’ ad-libs. Not only are most movies now shot digitally, but the increased costs and difficulties of filmmaking since the pandemic make this relaxed, improvisational style of shooting much less common.

‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’ Still Holds Up


Universal Pictures

I don’t want to sound like I’m overly critical, but none of these issues really ruin the movie. Ultimately, the film shows that Andy succeeds and finds real happiness only when he stops listening to bad advice and focuses on a genuine connection with Trish. He prioritizes building a relationship with her over just trying to get something physical, and the movie reflects that. In fact, director Judd Apatow asked comedy icon Garry Shandling for advice on the ending, and Shandling wisely suggested making it clear that Andy’s improved sex life was a result of being in love.

Even now, *The 40-Year-Old Virgin* remains genuinely hilarious. Steve Carell is fantastic as Andy, portraying him as a kind, but slightly awkward man – a character trait he’s successfully used in many roles since. His attempt at telling a risqué story during the poker game is a perfect example of the clumsy humor that would later define his character Michael Scott in *The Office*, which debuted just a few months prior. Carell excels as a comedic actor, skillfully playing a character rather than simply performing stand-up. Nancy Walls Keener is also wonderful as Trish, and the supporting cast, including Jane Lynch, Leslie Mann, Mo Collins, and Cedric Yarbrough, all deliver memorable performances in their smaller roles.

It’s hard to imagine a movie like *The 40-Year-Old Virgin* being made today, which makes it stand out as something special. It’s not that Hollywood is overly sensitive or afraid of controversy, but rather that what audiences want has changed a lot in the last twenty years. While it understandably shows its age in a few places, it’s still a really funny movie and offers a fascinating look back at a different time in Hollywood. You can watch *The 40-Year-Old Virgin* on Hulu or Peacock.

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2025-10-20 03:33