The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)

Andy Stitzer’s apartment is basically a museum of action figures nobody is allowed to open, and it gets a bigger laugh than half the dialogue. That’s the problem. At 116 minutes the movie wanders, a lot of scenes feel like the camera was left running while everyone riffed, and the coworkers’ terrible advice gets repetitive once the bad dates start piling up. Some of the guy talk has aged badly too. But Steve Carell plays Andy with zero irony. He’s not a punchline, he’s a kind, careful man who got stuck, and that makes the whole thing land. Paul Rudd moping over his ex is a perfect running gag, and Catherine Keener plays Trish like a real adult who actually likes this weirdo. The chest waxing scene is still one of the hardest laughs of its decade. A 7.0 because Carell’s sweetness carries a movie that badly needs an editor. $722 says you check your own shelf tonight for anything you never took out of the box.

What works: Steve Carell plays Andy sincerely instead of as a joke, and the chest waxing scene is a top-tier comedy moment.

What doesn’t: It runs long, the improvised riffing wanders off, and some of the guy talk humor has aged badly.

Who it’s for: People who like their R-rated comedy with a soft heart, and anyone who has ever been the late bloomer of the group.