‘Virgin’ is a love story packaged in a sex comedy

Comedies using sexual humor as their central theme usually appeal to

a very narrow audience or are willing to alienate a large portion of

potential moviegoers.

Two films have already been released this summer that were willing

to suffer an R rating, rather than tone down the content enough to

receive the more commercially viable PG-13.

The first of these is the very funny “Wedding Crashers,” which is

hilarious despite profiling two rather despicable characters who

curse enough to embarrass a longshoreman. The second film is the

juvenile and brainless “Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo,” which beats

to death its one-note premise of the hapless, physically

unattractive, male prostitute by the end of the first scene.

So, what can one expect from an R rated movie entitled “The

40-Year-Old Virgin?” The title and the advertisements showing star

and co-writer Steve Carell, looking prototypically geeky, seemingly

promise another assault on our collective sensibilities. As it turns

out, “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” is a love story wrapped in a sex

comedy.

Carell plays Andy Stitzer, a man who works in the stockroom of an

electronics store. Andy leads a regimented and solitary existence.

His tidy apartment is decorated with vintage action figures still in

the original packaging. His one extravagance seems to be a high-tech

chair especially designed for video gaming.

Andy’s only social contact appears to be an older African American

couple in the upstairs apartment, with whom he watches “Survivor”

each week.

Not much is offered regarding Andy’s childhood. He appears to be

stuck in arrested pre-pubescence, as he rides a bicycle everywhere

(having not learned to drive) and doesn’t date. It is eventually

revealed that Andy suffered some comical trauma during his first

attempts at intimacy and just quit trying.

Andy’s co-workers eventually ask him to round out their poker game

one night, during which he inadvertently reveals he is a virgin.

While surprised, the co-workers are somewhat relieved to have an

explanation for Andy’s unusual persona. His fellow stockroom employee

Cal (Seth Rogen) actually thought Andy might be a serial killer.

Ending Andy’s 40-year dry spell becomes a mission for Cal and

fellow co-workers Jay (Romany Malco) and David (Paul Rudd).

None of these guys are exactly the perfect role model for

establishing meaningful relationships. Cal is perpetually stoned and

unengaged with anything other than the pursuit of women. Jay is a

serial womanizer who resorts to outrageous measures to keep his

steady girlfriend in the dark. David talks a good game, but still

pines away for his ex-girlfriend.

The trio’s attempts to “help” Andy include such things as having

him target “drunk chicks” at a nightclub, responding to every female

comment with a question, and a round of “speed dating,” all with

hilarious results.

Carell does a good job of portraying Andy’s obvious disinterest in

such shallow contact with the opposite sex. Andy, who figured it was

too late to change things, is anxious to lose his virginity, but

seems to want more than what is being offered by his new friends.

While working at the store, Andy meets Trish, a budding

entrepreneur that slips him her number. Trish has been burned by past

relationships and, after a brief moment of passion with Andy goes

completely wrong, agrees to forego intimacy for twenty dates. Andy

hopes to find an opportune moment to tell Trish he is a virgin during

this extended “timeout.”

Andy and Trish’s budding relationship is actually quite tender and

believable, even under these bizarre circumstances. Particularly well

done is the manner in which Andy’s relationship with Trish’s eldest

daughter Marla (Kat Dennings) changes during the courtship of her

mother.

All the roles are perfectly cast, and the switch between wild

buddy movie and gentle love story occurs seamlessly. There are too

many good performances to mention individually, but all of the

workers at the electronics store contribute something to the film.

There are no unnecessary scenes or characters in this film, which is

unusual for a comedy almost two hours in length.

As I mentioned earlier, “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” is rated R due to

pervasive sexual content, language and some drug use. However, I did

not find any of these elements to be gratuitous. They simply fit the

characters and situations.

Those who pass on “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” because of such factors

will miss a funny and sometimes touching film.

* VAN NOVACK, 50, is the director of institutional research at Cal

State Long Beach and lives in Huntington Beach with his wife

Elizabeth.

Airplane thriller

not a bad escape

Contemporary thrillers hook their audiences by dredging up shared

fears existing in their collective psyche.

Since the events of 9/11, nervous and fearful feelings about

flying have escalated. Not because people perceive flying as more

dangerous, but because they fear who may be flying with them.

“Red Eye” puts a spin on that nightmare to start the adrenaline

pumping and the action rolling in its plot about terrorists using

civilians to carry out their attack.

Lisa’s red-eye flight from Texas to Miami has her nerves on edge.

She is anxious to return home and back to work. As the reservations

manager of a beachfront hotel, Lisa’s absence is cause for panic

because she has to oversee arrangements via cellphone for the pending

visit of the head of homeland security. Her dad is also taking up her

cellphone minutes with his needs back in Miami.

Lisa’s personal and professional problems accelerate as soon as

the plane lifts off and roars into the night. It is then Lisa learns

she has been targeted and recruited as an unwilling participant in a

terrorist assassination plot. Lisa’s fear of flying is quickly

consumed by her fear of death -- her own, her father’s and the

targeted government official.

Placing the action in an airplane during the film’s first and

second acts magnifies Lisa’s physical and emotional entrapment. There

is literally nowhere for her to run; she is stuck and tucked away in

a window seat near the back of the plane. The close proximity of her

captor prevents Lisa from safely alerting fellow passengers or the

stewards.

“Red Eye” invests a large portion of the movie building, creating

and showing Lisa’s mounting emotional predicament. The airplane’s

engines, for example, are extremely loud, and the turbulence and bad

weather cause the plane to dip, pitch and heave with the kind of

force only someone tense and frightened would experience it as being.

In addition to the enhanced sounds and actions of the plane, the

aircraft’s interior further reflects Lisa’s entrapment. The lavatory

resembles a prison cell more than a restroom, and the passenger seats

are so tall they restrict Lisa’s view of the other seats and fellow

passengers, keeping her in the custody of her terrorist-for-hire

captor. These and other techniques help create the helpless and

terrifying experience Lisa is having.

The modern day thriller looks to attract a larger share of the

female audience, by using a female lead with the fate of the world

and family in her hands. Rachel McAdams (“Wedding Crashers”) plays

Lisa with a believable innocence and intelligence.

“Red Eye’s” use of a handsome but evil captor may be a bit of a

turnoff, however. Cillian Murphy (“Batman Begins”) plays the villain

like he is the one confined and trapped. Cillian’s character,

Jackson, plays like a low-class gigolo used to getting what he wants,

using his looks instead of his brain, leaving few surprises to scare

the audience.

Fans of thrillers will favor “Red Eye” more then the average

viewers and those who have a fear of flying. “Red Eye” is better then

some films out there, but not better then others.

For viewers looking for an escape from their everyday lives, “Red

Eye” should fit your needs. Otherwise, it’s worth waiting for the

DVD.

* PEGGY J. ROGERS, 40, produces commercial videos and

documentaries.