40-Year-Old Virgin, The (DVD)

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"The 40-Year-Old Virgin" is a sweet little film. It´s definitely different than most movies, and even seems to celebrate traditional values by exposing how much sex, drugs, and alcohol can really hurt us, as people. It´s got a nice message and is extremely funny, too.

Video:
The 1.78:1 Anamorphic video quality isn´t as good as I would expect from a modern film, particularly a decently-budgeted studio movie. There is a ton of grain and electronic noise that mars the print. A slight shimmer runs the complete length of the film, and the amount of edge enhancement present creates a nasty haloing effect, particularly during scenes with a high amount of contrast. None of the film is unwatchable; far from it. It´s slightly distracting but not horribly so.

Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track is perfectly serviceable. The dialogue, the highlight of a film, sounds great. The music track isn´t particularly dynamic, but it doesn´t have to be. There isn´t any issue with a hiss or distortion.

Extras:
This set is absolutely packed with extra features. The primary piece is a feature-length commentary that features just about everyone who played in the movie along with Judd Apatow. The discussion hits the genesis of the project, where certain key scenes come from, and what it was like working on the set. Because of the sheer number of players the commentary is never dull.

There are a ton of deleted scenes that have an optional commentary with explanatory commentary by Judd Apatow and Seth Rogan. The scenes have a mediocre quality, with murky, non-anamorphic video and stereo audio.

A few of the deleted, or extended scenes, are incorporated back into the longer unrated cut. That includes portions of the sex advice from "Mooj," one of the workers in the store.

"Waxing Doc" is a piece on the most painful scene in the film. I think I saw pieces of this on television in anticipation of the film´s release… and it doesn´t look any less painful here. Considering this is done live… it just needs to be seen to be believed.

"Date-a-palooza" is a chance for the principal actors to riff on speed dating with some different women. Improvisation can be fun!

"My Dinner with Stormy" is an exclusive to the unrated DVD. Seth Rogan gets to sit down for a couple minutes with adult actress (and star of Andy´s fantasies) Stormy Daniels. He asks her a couple of questions and she flirts… and shows us her breast.

The "Gag Reel" is an amalgamation of line flubs and improvisations. This includes a longer version of the "You know how I know you´re gay?" dialogue.

Film Value:
If you like films like "Anchorman," you´ll appreciate "The 49-Year-Old Virgin." This film is surprisingly sweet and has some great bits of humor. The DVD presentation is good, considering the relatively low budget the film featured, and the extras give a lot more of the humor that populates the movie, if little that´s truly behind-the-scenes.

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