Virgin is the New Rich

I saw the 40 Year Old Virgin this weekend with oh let's call her Fresh Water Mussels. I expected this to be funny, but was surprised that it was so good. Steve Carell was able to carry the movie as a lead, although he never quite broke out of his comedian's mug. Catherine Keener was more than we deserved. The overall arc of the movie was painful when it hit close to home. And the details were good - Carrell's character's Comeauesque toy collection, e.g., was more than fodder for mockery: he uses it as a crutch during a burst of frustration.

The thing is that since Wedding Crashers I've been whining about lotfiller comedies that are merely kind of funny without being anything more. Movies like Animal House in its exuberance or Ferris Bueller in its exuberance and moments of teen angst transcend feature length sketch comedy. 40 Year Old Virgin manages to transcend this as well, at least to a degree. Without giving much away, my favorite part might just be the movie's ending, a bit of incongruity reminiscent of the ending of Slapshot or other films from cinema's golden era.