Give 'Virgin' a little love

In recent weeks, I have \nwitnessed much promotion for the movie "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," and what stands out most prominently are the most well-known stars in the cast: Steve Carell and Paul Rudd. Seeing these two together this soon after "Anchorman" easily gives the impression that "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" will be in a similar style, maybe even featuring a cameo like "Wedding Crashers" did.\nDon't assume you're walking into another "Anchorman," \n"Wedding Crashers," "Old School" or any other movie featuring either Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell or any combination of the four. In fact, it is more unique than any of these. The primary reason for this is Judd Apatow.\nDirected and written by Apatow (with writing credit also given to Carell), the film features a solid screenplay and plot. Carell plays Andy Stitzer, an awkward electronics store employee who has never had sex. Once his friends -- played by Rudd, Romany Malco (of "Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story" fame) and Seth Rogen ("Undeclared," "Donnie Darko") -- find out about his secret, it becomes their mission to get Andy laid.\nThe plot primarily focuses on Carell's awkward encounters with women that his friends set him up with, and Trish -- a single mother that he falls for (played by Catherine Keener, "Being John Malkovich"). The comedy culminates in the chest-waxing scene, which everyone has seen on the commercials, but nevertheless is still probably one of the funniest scenes in the movie (it was Steve Carell's actual chest hair actually being waxed for the first time).\nApatow, who was the creator and primary writer of the short-lived cult series "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared," clearly has a knack for screenwriting, whether it be on the big or small screen. The most impressive aspect of the film was that, in addition to being hilarious, it's extremely well-written. Carell's character is well-developed and realistically relatable, while also combined with the right amount of exaggeration to add humor. Apatow creates an awkward, asexual being -- who in reality is a nice person who's just a bit weird -- living in an exaggerated society focused only on sex.\n"The 40-Year-Old Virgin" is witty, smart, interesting and in the end a bit long at 116 minutes (the only sign of Apatow's difficulty shifting from TV to movies). The plot is well developed and interesting, and the character development and great acting makes the film deeper than the title suggests. In the end -- for everyone in or watching the movie -- it's all worth it.