40 Year Old Virgin

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Ok, I went to see 40 Year Old Virgin (40YOV) tonight. First chance I had. I was really looking forward to it because I had heard it was number one in the box office last weekend. I had also heard that it had a real sweet message. My only hesitancy was that I had also heard it was a bit raunchy with some profanity. But I had heard the same about Wedding Crashers and I really loved Wedding Crashers.

So I know I am going to probably get a lot of hate e-mails on this one (ppl that like reviews generally don’t send e-mails J). But I thought, and I may be the only Reviewer to take this stance, that it was one of the worse movies I have seen this year. Especially in light of all the other great movies out this Summer.

But hear me out before you start telling me what a jerk I am and that all the other Reviewers loved the film. You may think I hated it because it was full of profanity and took stereotypes way beyond any reasonable imagination? Not really. I had heard much worse things about Wedding Crashers, that it was really raunchy – and I loved Wedding Crashers – one of the funniest movies I have seen this year. I am generally not bothered by profanity, nudity, or any of the other common reasons for a “R� rating – though I am not a big blood and gore fan. No, it was something else.

The Wedding Crashers had storyline that was supported by the profanity and sexual scenes. There was a reason for this in the film. There were various themes in it that I felt were well worth dealing with the raunchiness. But 40 YOV was a totally different film. I laughed a lot in both of the movies, but with 40YOV I realized about halfway through the flick that I was becoming extremely aggravated – don’t know quite how to explain it, but it was like I felt like punching something. It was sort of how I felt after 9/11.

Yes, the profanity was sharp, but it was really taken a little too far and while it is common use within films to use stereotypes and exaggeration to make it easier for the audience to understand the nature of the characters, this film goes way too far. According to this film every man is sex crazed maniac, unless you happen to be an inept nerd – and even then, you aren’t constantly “scoring� unless you are just unlucky. And nearly every woman is a stupid, drunken, whore. Even the “nice� girl has a mouth like a drunken sailor when she thinks she’s on the phone with a telemarketer. I think this is part of why I was getting aggravated.

While Wedding Crashers used sexual liaisons as a background for the storyline and strategically placed profanity to emphasize feelings, 40 YOV did just the opposite and I felt that the Director had decided to create as “shocking� a film as they could and then decided to fit some type of storyline after the fact. There is a trend in recent movies to create down and dirty “R� rated movies, but then incorporate a viable Message in the Movie with some decent moralistic value. Example is Wedding Crashers; where Owen Wilson began to realize that he and his buddy’s hobby of crashing weddings to get great food and “score� one-night stands – and then the relationship between the two friends themselves. I have no problem with this, but I think 40YOV missed the mark.

I will admit at this point that I knew about the Message at the end of the 40 YOV, but I never made it. I tried really hard to hang in there to get to the Message, but I couldn’t – at one point I got so aggravated and sick of the constantly bashing, and admittedly I found myself laughing and then thinking how terrible it was that I was laughing at the scene – that I finally just got up and walked out of the movie (which if you know me takes quite a bit – after all – I paid money and hate to throw it away).

But from talking with other Reviewers who were able to suffer through the film to the final line, even the Message is somewhat tainted because the 40 Year Old Virgin was a virgin out of a series of unfortunate events and not because of his desire to stay pure all those years – instead it was because he was an inept nerd who wanted to “score�, but just couldn’t. I will have to admit that the fact that Andy, played by Steve Carrell, did not want to go along with his new buddies in most of their women hunting events had some redeeming value – but even in this, it was because he was just afraid it would be another disastrous outing for him.

I had stated in my review of the Wedding Crashers that “if you can wade through some of the more offensive moments (which are, in the case of this movie, necessary to the film’s story), then this is a must see.� Unfortunately, I can not say the same about 40 Year Old Virgin. It had little value, if any, and unless you enjoy being constantly bombarded with the gross devaluation of both men and women, and overly foul language just for the sake of trying to shock the audience, this movie is a definite NOT see. It goes to the bottom of my 2005 list. There are so many other good movies out this Summer – see one of them, or even re-see a good movie you have already seen – but do not waste your time on this flick.

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Wedding Crashers (2005)

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Ok, now I understand why Wedding Crashers came out on July 15th, but wasn’t the number 1 movie until the weekend of July 30th. Critics didn’t care for the movie, but it appealed to the masses and word-of-mouth made the movie a hit.

I had not planned on going to see this movie, but a lot of different people told me I just had to see it. I had heard that it was pretty raunchy and really thought that maybe it was one of those movies where they went for shock value because they couldn’t produce a quality film.

Well, there was a lot of profanity, some minor nudity, and there was definitely sexually oriented scenes (sometimes fairly extreme), but there wasn’t anything that a mature adult couldn’t deal with. I would not recommend for a younger teen.

A couple of long time buddies have spent years perfecting the skill of crashing weddings to enjoy some really great food, dance, party with happy, and oh yeah, to score with girls who are on the emotional high generated from the wedding ceremony (and alcohol). We learn that this talent was passed down to them, like a legacy, and they look forward to the “wedding season� all year long. They are good at what they do, nothing held back – and not just crashing weddings, but becoming the life of the party – and we are led to believe, making the wedding even that much better.

But something goes wrong. They have literally hundreds of rules for how to crash a wedding. But the one situation not covered is – what happens when a “Crasher� falls in love with someone at the wedding. This is when the story really gets interesting.

You already know that the film is going to be funny when you find out that Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn are the leads. But I must admit that it was much funnier than I had expected. I am use to Wilson's style of humor from some of his films with Jackie Chan, but when complimented with Vaughn’s straight forward, sometimes rough or rude, comedic style, the combination heightens is well worth the investment.

Rachel McAdams is ideally suited as the story’s love objective and a beautiful addition to the cast. Her portrayal as the “real� person provides an excellent counter to Wilson's façade. And this sets up a conflict that is crucial to the story.

Though this was one of the funniest movies I have seen this year, what I got out of the movie was a lot more than silliness (which is what I expected when the movie started). There were a couple Message in the Movie moments here. What struck me first was the relationship between Wilson and Vaughn. Vaughn had made a commitment to Wilson when they were kids and he has kept that pledge for 16 years. They looked forward to their times as “Crashers�. But they never would have made it as Crashers if they weren’t the best of friends. This is demonstrated as the film goes on and Vaughn continues to suffer one situation after another. Yet he still sticks with and supports Wilson.

Then there is the transformation of John after meeting Claire. After years of transient relationships, John (Wilson) finally is struck with the love bug – and will go through literally anything to obtain the “love of his life�.

This movie is not for those who are easily offended, but if you can wade through some of the more offensive moments (which are, in the case of this movie, necessary to the film’s story), then this is a must see.

Strangely enough, even though this film is predicated upon the concept that a couple of “Crashers� are out to score multiple “one-night stands�, the movie has a lot to say about monogamous relationships and the love between two people. What it says to us is that playing the field provides momentary thrills, but a deep relationship is the real avenue to joy and happiness. Again, as I have said in many past reviews, the key to this is true love. And as I have pointed out in the Gospels repetitively, God is Love and Love is God. Remember the first two commandments, Love God and then Love each other.

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Sky High (2005)

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“My girlfriend becomes my arch enemy, my arch enemy becomes my best friend, and my best friend becomes my girlfriend. But hey, that’s high school.� This statement in the movie pretty much sums up the movie’s plot; and after having volunteered with high school youth groups for over 8 years, also is an accurate description of life in high school.

I wasn’t too sure about this movie when the lights went down (and I had a lot more time to consider my misgivings as I sat through 10+ minutes of commercials before I even go to the previews). It sounded like a poor attempt to create a real life version of the Incredibles and from what trailers I had seen it seemed like it was just going to be a dumb and dumber version of the Incredibles.

But I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, it was kind of hokey at times, but overall it was a pretty good movie. It won’t make my list of movies that I would pay to go see a second time at the theater, but I would sit down and watch the DVD with someone who hadn’t seen it yet.

Working with high school students I have more than once heard complaints about how hard it is to be a freshman in today’s world and how it important it is to “fit in�. Well, just like it was many, many, many, many years ago when I was in high school – being a freshman can be the pits. Especially when you stand out. And this is the problem for Will Stronghold, played by Michael Angarano. The son of not one, but two super heroes (Commander Stronghold played by Kurt Russell and Josie Jetstream played by Kelly Preston – evidently the best in the business), everyone has an expectation that the young Stronghold will have superpowers beyond imagination. And not just his friends and teachers, but also there are high expectations forced on Will by his parents, who are already planning to announce the “family Stronghold�, the greatest super hero family ever. Unfortunately, Will shows up for his first day of school without “any� powers at all. Talk about standing out. Add to this, the first day of school, Will runs into the movie’s loner, dressed all gothic-like, tough guy who is out to get revenge on Will because Will’s father (the Commander) had put the tough guy’s father in prison. The tough guy is well played by Steven Strait as Warren Peace – the son of a super hero mother and an arch villain father – “Warren Peace� – get it :0) There are a lot of these types of puns in the film, but I won’t intentionally punish the film in my review for this since it doesn’t really impact the overall enjoyment factor.

The story, while I initially thought was just going to be a silly farce about super heroes and high school, turned out to have a real plot and some fairly good acting – though you do have to get past the super hero costumes and watching high school students flying, throwing fireballs, or shape-shifting (which has some funny aspects to itself if you pay close attention).

Scrape away the super hero facade and you will find a very entertaining and message filled story about “coming out and growing up� – or learning the difference between being a kid and approaching adulthood. Also you will find a story about friendship and the importance of maintaining these relationships. And that as we get older, the decisions we make have a greater impact -- something that comes as a major shock to most teens I have worked with. Also, as a child, you take things at face value, but as you age you find that you need to look beyond the outer appearance, you need to dig deeper and understand what is underneath the surface.

Besides the deeper messages in the movie, it was just plain funny and good time. Not because of the costumes or the story’s backdrop, but because of the interaction and lines between the actors. These interactions and conversations were even funnier because it was as if you took everyday teen events and put them in an absurd setting. Such as when Will’s parents first find out that he doesn’t have any super powers, the mother (Jetstream) says that there is nothing they can do – it’s not like they can drop Will into a vat of toxic waste (which is evidently how some teens have accidentally gotten their powers) – and Will’s father (Commander Stronghold) agrees – besides he wasn’t even sure where they could find a vat of toxic waste (indicating that the thought had crossed his mind). Almost like they were talking about Will not doing well in Geometry. But even these humorous moments are fraught with lessons that are worth grasping. When Will’s father and mother realize that their son may never have powers, they accept that they may never be the best super hero family there ever is, so instead, they are determined to be just the best family there ever was. And if Will can’t be a great super hero, then maybe he can be a great real estate agent (the Commander and Jetstream’s cover – which they are very good at and enjoy as much as their super hero work). A great lesson for all of us. Accept what you can’t change and move on. Don’t be burdened with old perceptions of what is necessary to make a happy life and future, but make the most of what you have and make something joyful out of that.

I thought the acting was as good as you could probably get considering the format of the film and storyline. And some of the best acting came not necessarily from the big names like Kurt Russell, but from the supporting cast with Steven Strait, Danielle Panabaker as Layla (complete with the rolled up buns of hair on either side of the head), Kelly Vitz as Magenta, Nicholas Braun as Zach, Dee Jay Daniels as Ethan, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Gwen.

One thing I really enjoyed was to watch a movie where there was a decent relationship between parents and their child and also among friends. It felt good to see something other than teens (all pretty much played by people in their late 20s) jumping into bed with everyone they meet, trying to decide which drug to take, or finding new ways to break the law and disobey their parents. I can tell you, after spending many years intimately aware of teen problems (and more than just youth group kids), yes there are a few that might fit nicely into the current crop of semi-drama teen TV series, but by and far the majority are more like the kids in Sky High. No, they can’t fly or freeze someone (though the stare that some of them give you could almost accomplish this), but they are more concerned with things like trying to get on a particular sports team, or trying to setup a date to the movies for the weekend, or passing their next exam – and in the worse case scenarios, dealing with family problems such as divorce.

Overall I thought the movie was a great one for both kids and adults. Not too goofy, yet not a lot of innuendo that kids will be asking “what did they mean�. It is pretty straight forward with a good sense of humor and reality (sans the super hero stuff).

Add to this good entertainment value, a Message in the Movie that was also pretty straight forward. Real friendship is more important, and more powerful, than any sort of benefit you get from being popular and the material rewards that go with it. This is an important message that I have gotten from the Gospels -- that it is not the things you possess or the things you do to impress others, but the love you share and receive in return. Shifting from a spiritual perspective to a scientific -- any psychiatrist, psychologist, or anyone working in the health care field will tell you -- it’s all about relationships. The other message is that real power (in contrast to comical super powers) sometimes comes from doing what is right vs. what feels good. Just as Saint Paul tells the Corinthians, when you are a child you do childish things, but when you grow up, as Will and his friends do in the movie, then you need to put your childish ways behind you. And as you leave childish things behind you need to take on the responsibility that goes with being a grown up.

—Overview
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—About this Film
—Spiritual Connections