I saw The 40 Year-Old Virgin this weekend. It's great, and you should see it.
I've been trying to figure out why my favorite scene in the movie (discounting the "Age of Aquarius" sequence, of course) is probably the one where Paul Rudd and Seth Rogan are sitting around playing Soul Calibur and insulting each other - aka the "You know how I know you're gay?" scene.
I'm thinking it's partly because it felt so natural - just two guys sitting around, playing video games and BSing. ("Oh, see what I'm doing? I just totally took your head off. Oh - oh, and now I'm throwing it at your body. Yeah, take that, bitch.") But it also fit in so well with the overall theme of the movie. Here are these guys who are basically overgrown teenagers - seeking sex wherever they can get it and trying to convince their friend to do the same - and they're acting like teenagers, with their video games and their gay jokes and their baggy pants and their rap music. And then Steve Carell comes in, seeking advice about the real, adult woman who's on her way over right that second, and the guys can't break out of their teenage mentality long enough to help him out. The message: While Steve Carell's character might have the trappings of a nerdy, overgrown boy, it's really his friends who need to grow up.
Or maybe I just really appreciate a well-tuned gay joke. Whatever.
Another great, really natural-feeling scene: the "hot grandma" conversation between Andy and Cal. I've been looking for snippets of it online, with no luck so far. (FUN FACT: Googling "hot grandma" is a dangerous business.)
And of course there was the chest-waxing. You've heard about the chest waxing - the real wax, the five cameras for a one-take shot, the actual blood welling up from Carell's chest. Go see the movie, man.
2 comments:
Dude! They totally played the gay clip when Paul Rudd was on The Daily Show, and it was good enough to convince me to see the movie. Although to date, I have not seen it. But no, it was easily one of the most natural-feeling clips I've seen of anything in forever. You are exactly right.
The best part was that Paul Rudd brought a book for Jon Stewart that Steve Carrell had signed, as a gift.
JS: I didn't know Steve wrote a book. (Looks at book.) Oh. He didn't write this. (Looks more closely.) And he spelled my name wrong.
PR: (Leaning in to look.) Both names. J-O-H-N S-T-U-A-R-T.
Yeah, making fun of gay people is so cool. You're awesome.
...
Post a Comment