The 40 Year Old Virgin

Andy Stitzer lives a quiet, comfortable life in suburban Seattle, content with his apartment, his coworkers, and a steady job at an electronics store. He also has a private fact that makes his coworkers obsessed and incredulous: at age 40 he has never had sex. When his buddies decide to change that, their crude coaching and ill-advised schemes collide with Andy’s gentle awkwardness and his own cautious sense of self. Everything shifts after he meets Trish, a warm single mother who runs her own business. As Andy fumbles through dating, friendships are tested, and his sense of what matters most starts to change, with the story staying funny and personal without revealing how it all ends.

Directed by Judd Apatow and credited to creators Judd Apatow and Steve Carell, the 2005 release was an original comedy built around Carell’s screen persona and a writerly vision that combined broad humor with character work.

The movie was an unexpected commercial success, turning a relatively modest production into strong box office returns worldwide. Its popularity helped convince studios that adult-targeted comedies with frank sexual humor could be lucrative, and it raised Apatow’s profile as a bankable filmmaker.

Certain sequences became instantly memorable, like the painful chest-waxing scene and extended comic set pieces that played across late night TV and home video. The film also introduced a loose ensemble of comedians who went on to frequent Apatow projects, and its blend of raunch and sincerity influenced many comedies that followed in the 2000s.

Critics often noted that the film balances bawdy jokes with a surprising emotional center, and audiences responded to its focus on friendship, vulnerability, and awkward adulthood. Steve Carell’s performance sells the character’s decency amid humiliation, while Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, Seth Rogen and others provide a palette of macho posturing and genuine support that keeps the tone grounded.