Bromance Revisited

To respond to the question you posed a while ago, let me first say that this isn't an easy decision. That's not to say that every movie that's come out of the Apatow Factory has been a masterpiece, or even that all of the top-tier movies are equally good. But to choose among the best of the best—The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad—is a tough choice, like choosing which of your children you love the most. Now I know how Meryl Streep's character felt in Sophie's Choice. (No, that's not humorous hyperbole, that's literally how I feel, so you better not be laughing at my bitter emotional turmoil as you read this.)

The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Now, I don't make this decision lightly. Superbad is a close second; they took the premise of countless mediocre '80s teen comedies and turned it into a genuinely affecting story about friendship and growing up. Oh yeah, and it's funnier than all get-out. But The 40-Year-Old Virgin pulls into the lead for a few reasons, most of which you already mentioned. The humor is just off the chart; while the script supplies them with great situations (the poker game, speed dating, the ride home with Leslie Mann), the cast takes it to the next level with spot-on timing and chemistry, fantastic improv, and subtle gestures and facial expressions that are almost as funny as the dialogue. From the dramatic angle, Carell perfectly conveys all the uncertainty, self-doubt, and awkwardness that often accompany relationships or any new experience—comically amplified in his case, of course, since he's, well, a 40-year-old virgin. This goes not only for his attempts at romance, but his friendships with his co-workers as well; he has to learn how to be a guy, as well as a dater and boyfriend. As you wrote, Andy is, despite everything, someone we can relate to and cheer for.

(There's something else in The 40-Year-Old Virgin's favor, which I may or may not have told you before. One day I came home from work to find a note from my landlady, effectively giving me three weeks to leave, no reason given; on top of that, it was just a few days before Christmas. As you can imagine, that was a pretty bad day. I didn't have any booze at home because I hardly ever drink alone, and I really didn't feel like going out, so getting drunk wasn't an option for making myself feel better. So I put on my 40-Year-Old Virgin DVD and forgot my troubles for two hours. Andy and the gang have seen me through some rough times, and for that I give them credit.)

And I agree with you that the more dramatic, realistic movies like the ones I mentioned above are superior to the more cartoonish ones like Anchorman and Talladega Nights, though the latter definitely have their moments aplenty as well. (And for the record, I'd say that Walk Hard falls into a separate category, despite its cartoonishness, as a spoof; Anchorman may have made fun of TV news, and Talladega Nights NASCAR, but a true spoof mocks a genre, as Walk Hard does with musician biopics.) I thought Forgetting Sarah Marshall had a lot of great scenes and elements, but overall it didn't make nearly as much of an impression as a 40-Year-Old Virgin or a Superbad; I guess I'd describe it as less than the sum of its parts. (Though the CSI-esque TV show, featuring master thespian Billy Baldwin, was pretty hilarious.)

So anyway, was your guess right?

P.S. — I know this has nothing to do with anything, but I had to say it.

Barack Obama doesn't care about white people.

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