#199: The 40-year Old Virgin

I would like to preface this by saying what I meant to say before the first entry. This list is my top 200 as of Sept. 2, 2008. Any films I see after that date that would likely get a slot will not count. Also I will go one by one, some days submitting more, and sometimes I'll likely go a week or so without posting at all. Some posts will likely be random musings about things other than movies. And without further ado, here's #199.





The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
Directed by Judd Apatow
Written by Judd Apatow & Steve Carell
Starring Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Romany Malco, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen.


One good comedy deserves another.

The 40 Year Old Virgin hit like wildfire a few years ago. It was fresh, well written and endearing. As vulgar as some of the lines were, every bit of dialogue came off as authentic and real. None of this film was contrived and it was all set in a rather realistic world.

Too many comedies operate in absurdity. Apatow and Carell wrote a script about a guy who could be real, and it's an age old archetype: the nice guy finishing last.

What makes the movie stronger is the cast of characters around Andy (Carell). Without Cal, Jay and David it wouldn't be much of a movie. Simple lines of dialogue like when David walks up to his boss and says "If I have to hear "Yamo Be There" one more time, I'm going to "Yamo" burn this place to the ground" are great because you can relate.

When I worked at Chapters, they played this damn Michael Buble record over and over again for months on end. It was driving me insane. And every time I heard the record I thought of that scene and that line.

I was talking with my friend Isaac the other day about what you remember from film. From truly great cinema you tend to remember every aspect of what you watched even long down the road. It just stays with you.

Well I haven't watched the 40 Year Old Virgin in over a year and so many lines come to mind. So many scenes. It's one of those hilarious movies that is so easily quotable, but no one seemed to over-quote it like people did with Napoleon Dynamite and Borat. Maybe it's because it's better and the jokes aren't one note.

At least those are the reasons why I can still enjoy it after multiple views. I certainly never want to see Napoleon Dynamite again, but I wouldn't refuse to watch The 40 Year Old Virgin many times over.

TOP 200 Movies Countdown: #200 - Tropic Thunder

Tropic Thunder (2008)
Directed by Ben Stiller
Written by Ben Stiller and Justin Theroux
Starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, Nick Nolte, Steve Coogan and Tom Cruise.

Yes, it's recent.

It's been out only a couple weeks and it has made my top 200 list. It's that funny.

It's a spoof that doesn't rely on constant references to pop culture. It doesn't take itself seriously but it isn't a lazily written or conceived comedy. Stiller and Theroux wrote a sharp script satirizing celebrity neuroses and lampoons our obsession with celebrity culture.

Stiller's schtick has been hit and miss for years. He has good (There's Something About Mary, Zoolander), the great (The Royal Tenenbaums) and the rest (A Night at the Museum). This is his best film since Tenenbaums, no question. But he isn't even the brightest light.

Robert Downey Jr. as I'm sure everyone knows by now, steals the show. His depiction of Kirk Lazarus, an Australian actor who goes through a medical procedure to portray a black sergeant in a Viet Nam movie is so over the top but never seems out of place.

Jack Black is at his manic best. He's on edge and vulgar, not family friendly. This is just the way he should be. I thought he had lost his comic senses from Tenacious D, but apparently not.

Tropic Thunder is the biggest surprise of the year so far. I think everyone knew The Dark Knight would be pretty damn special, but this came out of nowhere. It's a good mindless comedy - remember that when you see activists getting up in arms over the liberal use of the word 'retard'. It's one scene, lasts a minute and is over. Go watch House Bunny and Pineapple Express, it's used in both of those movies at least once and in derogatory fashion at a different character, but neither of those movies are labeled as intolerant.

Is there a quota that has to be filled? How many times can retard be said in a movie before it's deemed offensive? 3? 2? Criticizing Tropic Thunder because of that is sillier than the movie itself. And it deserves this spot in my list. It's a great comedy.