40-Year-Old Virgin suprisingly sweet

What do you do with virgin past his prime? Well, bad puns and potty humor aside, you find a way to help him become a bit more worldly, of course. That's the premise of the uproarious comedy The 40-Year-Old Virgin, starring fearlessly funny Steve Carell (of NBC's version of "The Office" and "Anchorman" with Will Ferell most recently). In real life Carell is over 41 and the father of two, but he obviously can feel the pain of his lead character's lack of skills with the female of the species.

He does a fantastic job fleshing out our clueless hero, electronics store stocker Andy Stitzer. He's gone his entire life thus far somehow managing to keep his innocence in tact due to his "respect" for women. Thankfully, the unassuming, affable Andy gets by with a little help from his friends - Cal (Seth Rogen), Jay (Romany Malco) and David (Paul Rudd) - who act as his Yodas on his path to discovery. Not that they are exactly the Don Juans of the neighborhood, but at least they care about Andy enough to (mostly) want what's best for him.

Even through all of the questionable advice he gets from his buddies (the film "Jade"should hardly be used as a training tool of any sort) and his own anxiety at the thought of being with a woman, Andy manages to meet some quality candidates to usher him into the realm of physical love. There are two main objects of possible affection: sweet single mom Trish (Catherine Keener) and perky Beth (Elizabeth Banks), who is much more experimental and experienced.

Both women are perfectly cast as his paramours and help Carell create some downright guffaw-worthy scenes. The pairing of Trish and Andy particularly touches not just the funny bone, but the heartstrings. Hats off to the screenwriters (Carell and director/producer Judd Apatow) for developing a love story between a couple old enough to not just vote, but who have that middle aged hill well in sight. Though Andy's other love interest, Beth, is stereotypically young and bubbly, that character is a necessary counterpart to Trish's sophistication.

There are a cornucopia of laughs to be had in this sweet and somewhat blush-worthy comedy. Granted, the movie does incorporate a LOT of off color humor, but it's somehow still able to transcend many of the landmines that would turn it from a raunchy Opie-ish tale to a down and dirty piece of vulgarity. Carell is absolutely adorable as kind-hearted Andy, a character who truly undergoes a transformation during the course of the film - physically of course (he deserves a big pay day just for waxing his 'sexy shag' onscreen) - but emotionally as well.

You find yourself cheering this everyman on, if for no other reason than the hope that he becomes a bit less terrified to get beyond second base. You may not know anyone like Andy now, but I'm sure we can all identify with aspects of his journey. That makes "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" more than just watchable, it makes it identifiable in a "thank God that's not me" kind of way. You'll crack up at the star's "date" with himself, a LOT of clumsy attempts at wooing and being wooed and especially the dialogue amongst the uniquely entertaining characters.

There aren't many comedies that are up to par with "Virgin's" witticisms and wonderfully likeable characters. It does echo a bit of "American Pie," but the premise alone makes it soar above "Pie's" sophomoric humor - adults struggling with sex issues seems WAY sadder. It is a highly unlikely, yet surprisingly - dare I say it? cute - piece of fluff that manages to make you forget everything else for two hours. Isn't that what movies are supposed to do?

"The 40-Year-Old Virgin" is rated R for sexual situations, nudity, profanity and some drug use. Believe me, it earns the rating.