AndyInThePieWithAlmonds

I was the classic husband dragged to see this on Valentine's Day weekend as a goodwill gesture. It was every bit as bad as could be possibly imagined. Half of Hollywood's A List star as vacuous stereotypes, moronically obsessed with the holiday in question. This despite the fact they are all living millionaire lifestyles, with perfect tans and the whitest of teeth. It's Love Actually, without a sense of humour or any depth whatsoever. No- one and nothing is remotely realistic - every storyline has a trite and convenient resolution and none is convincing or interesting. There is a perfect and unlikely ratio of ethnicities and sexualities. The sex trade is entirely trivialised and sanitised. No-one stays upset about relationship breakdowns for more than one scene. People break into spontaneous dance sequences in which everyone knows the pre-rehearsed moves but the film doesn't have the conviction to show it for more than 3 seconds... Just utter pointless and patronising bilge...

This movie is just so good at what it does. It is streets above the likes of 'American Pie' or 'Road Trip' which, whilst very entertaining, have the boardroom touch all over them in their calculated, controlled (commercial) approach to 'gross-out' and nudity. 40-Year Old Virgin, on the other hand, seems to have grown unchecked from the rich material of a guys night out. This is boys talking like boys - and little-known actors having an absolute ball. The aim is not to shock the audience for the sake of it, but merely to give an honest account of male preoccupations. Neither is the tone cruel; you never feel that people here are scornful of the central character, but that they genuinely want to help a repressed and overlooked man discover his potential. This film, perhaps above any other, show that potty talk, machismo and alcohol can be the greatest means through which to communicate real affection between mankind (as opposed to womankind). Conservative America probably wouldn't be able to spot it, but this film is warmer than a thousand and more 'family' films... oh and it's damn funny too.

The trailer for this film pressed all the right buttons. The four central actors are established heavyweights, whilst the subject matter brought to mind the likes of 'The Ice Storm', 'Closer', 'Unfaithful' or even 'Your Friends and Neighbours': understated character pieces examining the implications of relationship dysfunction. It is sad to report, therefore, that the film falls well short of expectations. My rating (5/10) may be harsh, but it reflects a missed opportunity, given the promise of the concept and the cast. Above all, the film is dull - everyone is miserable, no-one is likable, and the writing lacks sparkle. It would be fair to respond to this by noting that neither can reality promise laughs, charisma or wisdom in the midst of marital crisis, but there has to be some reason to keep watching a film. I was hoping for this one to end for much of its duration.