# The 40-Year-Old Virgin is supposed to be a comedy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 4, 2013, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025 "2013-11-04T03:05:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/81 "2013-11-05T15:04:18Z")
> [@AnthonyElite](#): > > No no, prove me wrong that he has original material. And yes, I know it is opinion and not fact, lets not be silly. I just find it hard to believe that anyone besides vapid mouth breathers find him funny. Perhaps I’m missing something, but if I am I don’t want to find it. How about the Daily Show? He was a big part of the success of the show when Jon Stewart took over. I’m pretty sure he wrote all his own parts as a correspondent. His humor tends to be the exact opposite of what us vapid mouth breathers like. I think you have him confused with Rob Schneider. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/82 "2013-11-05T15:19:45Z")
> [@AnthonyElite](#): > > I just find it hard to believe that anyone besides vapid mouth breathers find him funny. Maybe you’re just less attuned to comedy than vapid mouth breathers are. ---
**Author:** ![AnthonyElite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@AnthonyElite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnthonyElite)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/83 "2013-11-05T15:48:32Z")
And like I said, I know it is all opinion. I just hadn’t met anyone in real life who I considered intelligent who found him funny. I understand what he is trying to go for, but he is so heavy handed! For the record I don’t think anyone that finds him funny IS a vapid mouth breather, just that there is a high correlation 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/84 "2013-11-05T16:35:01Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > I think you’ve misjudged the movie. The main character gets humiliated a few times, but he’s a better person than the majority of the cast. Occasionally he’s even better than the guys around him at their own games. In both cases, the other guys become aware of his superiority, IMO. > > He does get ridiculed a bit by his friends and neighbors, though. For those who don’t like to see characters humiliated, that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/85 "2013-11-05T17:36:17Z")
> [@AnthonyElite](#): > > For the record I don’t think anyone that finds him funny IS a vapid mouth breather, just that there is a high correlation 😃 **Mod Note** : Let’s dial down the tone before people start getting insulted. That’s a general note to everyone in the thread. Gukumatz, Moderator ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/86 "2013-11-05T18:10:01Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > For those who don’t like to see characters humiliated, that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement. Andy is ridiculed when his coworkers find out he’s a virgin (primarily due to the “bags of sand” obvious bluff) out of disbelief, and they also tease him (as _all of them tease each other_) the next day. However, when Andy runs away in embarrassment, Paul Rudd (yum) follows and they have a more meaningful discussion about why Andy remained a virgin for so long. Throughout the film, Andy is sympathetic and the audience is intended to be rooting for him. The guys quickly become his friends and are sincerely trying to help him. There is a lot of “humor of awkwardness” and mock insults in the film, but everyone is subjected to it, not just Andy, because that’s just the way these guys relate to one another. Heck, for fun they smack each other with flourescent light tubes when bored at work! Again, it is waaay more charming and full of heart than one would think, and that’s thanks both to the script and the cast of endearing characters (and actors). Oh lord I forgot the Jane Lynch character and how awesome she is as she’s trying to seduce Andy with her Guatemalan love song… (I’m glad I’m not the only one who was icked out by that Rogan/Banks scene, **Gyrate**! A strange misfire in the film.) ---
**Author:** ![AnthonyElite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@AnthonyElite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnthonyElite)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/87 "2013-11-05T18:20:49Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Movies made for “vapid mouth breathers”, as you call us, don’t tend to receive 85% favorbility ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. Off topic: Rotten Tomatoes tends to be quite silly in their regard for movies sometimes. I think the movie, “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” had its moments, but a lot of them were spoiled by previews and things of that nature. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/88 "2013-11-05T18:22:42Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Oh, god, I hated those two movies. Anchorman was sold to us by a family member with the comment “funniest thing ever” and the only time my SO and I even cracked a smile was the reporter fight. The entire rest of the movie was awful, and not funny in the least. > > Bruce Almighty was even worse. And _gasp_ I don’t actually like Morgan Freeman all that much, nor his voice. Bruce was hilarious in a small portion, right after he god his powers, but before they started to boomerang. The scene with the toughs and the ass-monkey made me laugh so much my sides hurt. The rest of the film? Not so much… Anchorman had a few moments, very few. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/89 "2013-11-05T18:24:48Z")
> [@AnthonyElite](#): > > I just find it hard to believe that anyone besides vapid mouth breathers find him funny. Perhaps I’m missing something, but if I am I don’t want to find it. Perhaps you’re missing that “mouth breathers” isn’t a term for stupid people, it just means someone with a medical condition, thus it is insensitive as hell? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/90 "2013-11-05T18:28:42Z")
> [@choie](#): > > Andy is ridiculed when his coworkers find out he’s a virgin (primarily due to the “bags of sand” obvious bluff) out of disbelief, and they also tease him (as _all of them tease each other_) the next day. However, when Andy runs away in embarrassment, Paul Rudd (yum) follows and they have a more meaningful discussion about why Andy remained a virgin for so long. I still think I’ll skip it. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/91 "2013-11-05T18:29:11Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Perhaps you’re missing that “mouth breathers” isn’t a term for stupid people, it just means someone with a medical condition, thus it is insensitive as hell? But what about “vapid mouth breathers”? They’re stupid right? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/92 "2013-11-05T18:29:59Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > I look forward to your future threads “Is ‘Paranormal Activity’ supposed to be scary?” and “Is ‘Mary Poppins’ really a musical?” “Is ‘Star Wars’ really a war picture?” ---
**Author:** ![AnthonyElite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@AnthonyElite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnthonyElite)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/93 "2013-11-05T19:12:42Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Perhaps you’re missing that “mouth breathers” isn’t a term for stupid people, it just means someone with a medical condition, thus it is insensitive as hell? It is a commonly used insult on people with low intelligence. If I call someone a fat head do I have to apologize to anyone with macrocephaly? Quit being so damned sensitive. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/94 "2013-11-05T19:14:42Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Perhaps you’re missing that “mouth breathers” isn’t a term for stupid people, it just means someone with a medical condition, thus it is insensitive as hell? > [@AnthonyElite](#): > > Quit being so damned sensitive. Repeating **Gukumatz** ’s mod note: everybody tone it down. This is turning into a hijack of the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/95 "2013-11-05T19:27:29Z")
> [@AnthonyElite](#): > > Off topic: Rotten Tomatoes tends to be quite silly in their regard for movies sometimes. I’ve found the same thing. There’ll be a movie I didn’t like but it scored well on [RT.com](http://RT.com) so I just know that they were completely wrong somehow. I can’t think of any other reason why a movie that so obviously sucks could score that well. ---
**Author:** ![AnthonyElite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@AnthonyElite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnthonyElite)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/96 "2013-11-05T19:42:58Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > I’ve found the same thing. There’ll be a movie I didn’t like but it scored well on [RT.com](http://RT.com) so I just know that they were completely wrong somehow. I can’t think of any other reason why a movie that so obviously sucks could score that well. I know! And sometimes there will be a movie that I really liked, and it scored poorly! That thing **must** be broken right? :rolleyes: You are a master of sarcasm. Really though, I find RT seems to lean towards artistic rather than entertainment - with it applying more loosely to certain genres. Thought I could joke around a bit in a thread about a comedy… OBVIOUSLY it is ALL a matter of taste, and the only incorrect response is 42, blue, or a chicken wing. I was more just saying it surprised me that a group of people that usually have the same taste as me find him funny. Perhaps they identify with him? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/97 "2013-11-05T19:47:11Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Awwwww. Is it because of Bruce Almighty or Morgan Freeman? Because I can come to terms with Morgan Freeman…but never, never, Bruce Almighty. Morgan Freeman. Bruce Almighty was ok but I can only take so much Carrey. Steve Carell, though, I don’t know. Stranger than Fiction is the only Carell movies I ever really liked and that might just be because Emma Thompson is in it. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/98 "2013-11-05T20:00:12Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Steve Carell, though, I don’t know. Stranger than Fiction is the only Carell movies I ever really liked and that might just be because Emma Thompson is in it. Are you thinking of Will Ferrell? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/99 "2013-11-05T20:01:28Z")
I am. _puts the wine away and goes to lie down_ ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025/100 "2013-11-05T20:17:44Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > > [@AnthonyElite](#): > > > > Off topic: Rotten Tomatoes tends to be quite silly in their regard for movies sometimes. > > I’ve found the same thing. There’ll be a movie I didn’t like but it scored well on [RT.com](http://RT.com) so I just know that they were completely wrong somehow. I can’t think of any other reason why a movie that so obviously sucks could score that well. I thought that Rotten Tomatoes didn’t review movies itself but averaged the published reviews to provide a consensus. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-40-year-old-virgin-is-supposed-to-be-a-comedy/673025.md?page=6)