40-Year-Old Virgin: Bullet Points

Things that make me laugh out loud:

— the black father at Planned Parenthood, saying, “My daughter is, for lack of a better word … DUMB …” His FACE, the way his eyes are kind of flat and pissed off – Half of the humor is in when he chooses to look at his daughter, and when he chooses to look back at the counselor (played by Nancy Walls – Steve Carell’s wife in real life). It wouldn’t work if he didn’t glance briefly at his daughter during the pause before “dumb”. I love that in the gag reel there’s one shot of him bursting into laughter during one of the takes. Yup. He knew how funny it was too.

— The two angry Indian guys who work at the store. They are always walking into the frame, where a scene is already going on, making some bitter comment, and then walking out of the frame. I cannot get enough of them. They are ALWAYS angry. “What are we – Al Qaeda? We can’t come to your party?” And when the one angry Indian guy starts to list sexual practices off like a grocery list – saying that “life is not about sex or cock or balls or titties … life is not about butthole pleasures … life is not about …” And Andy’s face as he listens to all of this … It’s feckin’ hysterical.

— Jane Lynch – that FABULOUS chick from Best in Show and Mighty Wind who plays the manager of the store. NOBODY plays “ikky” better than that woman. Her performance as the lesbian dog trainer in Best in Show is so ikky and so comedically delicious that it’s perfect. You know that kind of self-important person who has ZERO sense of humor about themselves? She pretty much can play that kind of person like nobody’s business. And that’s what her character is in this film. She is so. GROSS. I love when she starts to sing in Spanish – having no idea just how gross and self-indulgent she is. That actress is brilliant.

— Andy saying to his friends, after they figure out he’s a virgin: “I don’t need your help! I have a very fulfilling life!!” Then a quick cut to a montage of his life: strutting around in his apartment playing the French horn badly, painting a very intricate small action figure, doing karaeoke by himself in his living room, and sitting in bed reading a comic book laughing hysterically.

— The moment when Catherine Keener (love her) finds the plastic model of the vagina in Andy’s apartment (you know – the kind they use in health class and stuff) – She picks it up and shoots DAGGERS at him with her eyes. “What is this?” He is mortified but he answers bravely, “That is a vagina.” She says, fuming: “And why do you have this??” He splutters out: “For learning!” (There are a couple of moments on the gag reel from this scene. He would say “To learn!” or “For learning!” and Keener would hold it together for half a second, and then just burst into laughter)

— This guy. He steals every scene he’s in. He makes me laugh out loud. But none of it is gags – or gimmicks – it’s all just totally real. He’s fanTASTIC. This guy has a HUGE career ahead of him.