The 40 Year Old Virgin

The 40 Year Old VirginThe 40 Year Old Virgin, showing Monday April 27th on ITV1 London at 10:35pmAlthough the plot has a slightly thin premise, surprisingly this 2005 lightweight romcom works quite well. Following his show-stealing performances in Bruce Almighty and Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy, Steve Carell moved centre stage with a leading role. He plays Andy Stitzer, a 40-year-old electronics store worker, whose colleagues discover that he has never had a girlfriend and is still a virgin. They set about helping him to meet that special someone - by any means necessary.Despite a few hit-and-miss gags and a feeling that the film is a shade too long, there are plenty of laughs throughout. Particular highlights include a less than conventional speed-dating scene and a legendary waxing scene that will make you wince.What separates this from the stream of recent gross-out movies is the underlying sense of heart and sweetness as Stitzer chooses to wait for the right woman rather than lose his virginity with the less than appealing options that his friends present him with. Underpinned by Carell's charming and likeable performance and a sense of originality lacking in other movies of this genre, this is one of the better comedies of recent years and well worth checking out.Did you know? Carell's chest hair was actually ripped out for the excruciating waxing scene. Just before shooting the infamous sequence, Carell told director Judd Apatow: "It has to be real. It won't be as funny if it's mocked up or if it's a special effect. You have to see that this is really happening." The scene had to be done in one shot. View the full reviewGet a reminder when The 40 Year Old Virgin starts.