The 40-Year-Old Virgin

Steve Carell and Catherine Keener star in The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

Herald rating: * * * *

Sounds gag-inducing, and it could have been, but Steve Carell and co-star Catherine Keener create a sympathetic rom-com from one joke: Andy Stitzer is 40 and a virgin.

Andy (Carell) rides his bike to work at the electronics superstore in the mall, and after work he immerses himself in video games, high-tech toys and collectable action figures. His work buddies spend a lot of time talking about women and sex. His boss, Paula (Jane Lynch), may be 40, but is definitely not a virgin.

Andy's friends take it on themselves to educate him. To set him up. All right, to humiliate him, but they reveal more about themselves.

Trish (Keener) also works in a shop in the mall. Andy likes her but he's too shy. She realises, and leads him gently towards finding the real him. And them.

The DVD shows that the film was largely improvised. And those in Andy's situation might appreciate the warning on "what not to say while speed dating".