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6[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/40v.png]]
7
8->''"Is it true that if you don't use it, you lose it?"''
9-->-- '''Andy Stitzer'''
10
11''The 40-Year-Old Virgin'' is a 2005 [[ComedyTropes comedy]] film starring Creator/SteveCarell in the title role, and the first film to put director Creator/JuddApatow on the map (after television stints with ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks'' and ''Series/{{Undeclared}}'').
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13It is the story of Andy Stitzer (Carell), a 40-year-old man who, due to a series of unfortunate mishaps all throughout his youth, never experienced sexual intercourse during his formative years and has lost interest in his adulthood. One night, while playing cards with his friends from the electronics store where they all work, Andy inadvertently reveals that he's a virgin; this initially results in the expected chummy jeers, but shortly thereafter his friends Cal (Creator/SethRogen), Jay (Romany Malco), and David (Creator/PaulRudd) decide to help him lose his virginity. Eventually, Andy meets a nice woman named Trish (Creator/CatherineKeener) with whom he shares a genuine emotional connection, and though he's nervous about telling her the truth about his virginity and the subject of sex in general, he must learn to overcome his insecurities to discover both sex and romance.
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15Since we all know that [[VirginShaming no true man is a virgin]] and that {{loners are freaks}}, this movie surprised many by portraying the title character, a virginal and nerdy (he collects action figures and comics) introvert, not as some kind of loser or freak but as a likeable fellow who's simply chosen not to have sex after a short series of rejections in his youth. Since it dresses in the skin of a SexComedy, it's also refreshing to see the subject of sex summed up as "a nice thing to have, but meaningless without love," as seen in Andy's well-meaning but dim-witted friends, who all lead active sex lives but are probably less happy than Andy because their romantic relationships are unfulfilling.
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17----
18!!''The 40-Year-Old Virgin'' provides examples of the following tropes:
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20* AllegedlyDateless: Despite Andy having been an awkward virgin until his forties, he finds himself on numerous dates with very attractive women in a short period of time.
21* AllMenArePerverts: All the men, apart from Andy, are portrayed as overly eager for sex, and they repeatedly virgin-shame Andy for either not having sex or for respecting women (i.e. "Pussy on a pedestal").
22* AllThereInTheManual: Andy's last name, Stitzer, is never mentioned in the film, but is in the trailers and other promotional materials.
23* AMFMCharacterization: Andy is a fan of Music/{{Asia}}, as a way of showing that his musical tastes, along with most of his decour, hasn't evolved since TheEighties.
24* AnAesop: The theme of the movie is that as long as you are happy with your partner and you both respect each other, it doesn't matter if you lose your virginity late in life. Your value as a person isn't defined by your sexual activities. At the end of the day, sex and maturity aren't the same things and one does not constitute the other.
25* {{Angrish}}: During the chest waxing scene, Andy quickly devolves from random screaming to swearing at the waxer to GratuitousSpanish to even ''Kelly Clarkson''.
26* AsHerself: Adult film star Stormy Daniels has a cameo playing herself during a dream sequence.
27* BestialityIsDepraved: Cal tells Andy that he spent his weekend in Tijuana with some friends and decided to see a horse show with them, thinking it'd be awesome seeing a woman bang a horse. He ended up just feeling bad for both participants.
28* BenevolentBoss: Paula rarely enforces any of her rules and lets what would normally be fireable offenses slide, such as David using a store video camera to "perform a public colonoscopy". She also offers to be FriendsWithBenefits with Andy.
29* BlatantLies: Andy's fake sex story durng the poker game. His friends, due to be drunk, buy it up until he says a boob feels like a bag of sand.
30* TheBlindLeadingTheBlind: Andy may not have much romantic experience, but his friends have their own host of problems (David's inability to get over his ex, Jay's infidelity, Cal's boorishness) that make them much more incompetent than he is even with his inexperience.
31* ButchLesbian: Gina from the speed-dating party.
32-->'''Gina:''' [[PronouncingMyNameForYou Jy-na.]]
33* CanNotSpitItOut: Andy is afraid to tell Trish that he's a virgin. It takes him until near the end of the film to finally tell her.
34* CarpetOfVirility: Andy has so much chest hair that it's practically a character in its own right.
35* CatchphraseInsult: Slight Mooj in any way and you'll be promptly told to go fuck a goat.
36* CelebrityResemblance: It's mentioned that Andy looks a lot like Luke Wilson.
37* CentralTheme: ThePowerOfLove. Sex is not to come before love. Sex is a nice thing every now and then but love is the most important thing.
38* ColdTurkeysAreEverywhere: The scene where Andy's running away from work because the guys were making fun of him.
39* ComingOfAgeStory: Of the delayed variety, as you can tell by the movie's title.
40* CoverInnocentEyesAndEars: The first time Marla meets Andy, her mom is wearing next to nothing and there were tons of unwrapped condoms on the floor, leading to a shouting mother and one extremely grossed out teenage girl. The next time we see her, she is walking into the living room covering her own eyes as well as her little sisters, half-jokingly asking if it's safe to look.
41* CringeComedy: Anybody remembering their first forays into romance will cringe at Andy's awkward attempts at flirting using his friends' advice.
42* DancePartyEnding:
43-->"[[Theatre/{{Hair}} This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius, the age of Aquariuuuuuus...]]"
44* DeadpanSnarker: Andy, to a degree.
45* DespairEventHorizon: David's biggest regret is breaking up with a girl due to her blowing another guy, despite how amazing the sex was. He tried to get her back to the point where she had to move and change her phone number. While keeping it in check for most of the film, they have a chance encounter at a speed dating event and while David thinks they're gonna get back together, she shoots him down. When the group returns to work, David is a complete mess, complete with half his shirt untucked. This culminates in him trying to "sell" a customer a video camera despite the poor man just wanting to buy a cordless phone. He speaks to the camera like he's chewing her out before miming a blowjob and broadcasting his ass to the entire store before Cal has to stop him flashing everybody his junk. Despite his boss witnessing this, he is only sent home for the day instead of being fired.
46* DidNotThinkThisThrough: Hiring retail space only to sell all the inventory on eBay is a pretty confusing business model, which is commented on in-universe. Ironically, with wi-fi becoming more accessible since the movie came out, this might not be considered such a setback.
47* DirtyOldMonk: Downplayed. At the end when [[spoiler:Andy and Trish get married]], the priest conducting the services earnestly demands they "consummate their marriage" as soon as possible. He is later seen embracing one of the female dancers during the "Aquarius" sequence, but it cuts away before things get too passionate.
48* DragQueen: "If she was a transvestite, she was ''Art/TheMonaLisa of transvestites''." [[AvertedTrope Averted]], though, in that she is betrayed by a ''quite deep'' voice.
49--> "I '''''am''''' Jay's party."
50* DrunkDriver: Nicky drives so inebriated that she would be dangerous driving a tricycle, much less a car, and it's implied this isn't the first time she's done so.
51* FanDisservice: Paul Rudd's bare ass on at least two-dozen large television screens during his meltdown about his ex. We almost get a full view of his junk though thankfully Cal comes running in and wrestles the camera away from him before it can go that far.
52* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Andy is melancholic (very friendly while also very lonely), [[NiceGuy David]] is phlegmatic (laid-back and easygoing but obsessive when it comes to his ex), [[KavorkaMan Cal]] is sanguine (the most passionate when supporting Andy's romantic endeavors), and [[JerkWithAHeartofGold Jay]] is choleric (often rude and loudly so, but also supportive of Andy).
53* GenderedInsult: The salonist who chest waxes Andy calls him a "pussy" at one point during his session.
54* GoingPostal: David threatens to shoot everyone in the store and himself and to burn the store down if Paula doesn't stop playing a Michael [=McDonald=] video on loop in the store all day.
55* HiddenBadass: Andy. His cycling means he's in good shape for a man his age, which comes in handy during the chase scene towards the end [[spoiler:as well as carrying Trish up to their bridal suite which is implied to be up a long flight of stairs]].
56* HiddenDepths: Due to playing it many nights online, Andy is ''really'' good at poker.
57* HoldingHands: "Hold my hand, man." "What?" "Hold my goddamn hand, man!"
58* InUniverseFactoidFailure: Andy displays his complete lack of sexual experience when he mentions that breasts feel like bags of sand.
59* {{Irony}}: Despite being sexually inexperienced and being constantly emasculated by other men for being a virgin, Andy has the best grasp of where the boundaries are with women and he is the most mature of his friends, whose advice is either derogatory at best or outright sex offenses at worst. This is the actual theme of the movie; sex and maturity aren't the same things and one does not constitute the other. It doesn't matter what age you have sex as long as you're happy with who you do it with.
60* JizzedInMyPants: The unrated version features a flashback montage of young Andy's hilariously unsuccessful attempts at losing his virginity. [[SarcasmMode Shockingly]], one of them involves Andy falling victim to this trope.
61* KavorkaMan: Cal, he even lampshades it: "Look at me! I'm ugly as '''''fuck''''' by traditional standards, but I know how to get with women!"
62%%* LetsWaitAwhile: In the end, [[spoiler:Andy and Trish]].
63* LousyLoversAreLosers: Seemingly played straight but then {{Averted|Trope}} in the ending. When Andy consummates his marriage with Trish and finally loses his virginity, it [[SpeedSex lasted 60 seconds]]. He's floored but she's clearly unsatisfied. But then she asks if wants to do it again and he does and the scene [[FadeToBlack fades]] to a SexyDiscretionShot, and this time it lasts two hours and they both look exhausted and satisfied in bed.
64* LoveHurts: As Andy and Trish's twenty-date deadline draws to a close, he starts pushing her away out of fear of sex and disappointing her. She becomes completely heartbroken and tearfully begs him that she'll do anything to stay with him.
65** Also David, who is a consistent buzzkill to his friends because he's so obsessed with his ex.
66* {{Manchild}}: Downplayed with Andy, to a degree (at least insofar as his action figure collection is concerned). His friends, on the other hand, play this straight in every other aspect.
67** It's one of the few correlations between sex and worthiness at first, but it's later clear that his childish hobbies are a healthy outlet for the spare time he has that others would dedicate to being horndogs, and a sign of commitment and passion. When Trish tries to use some of his lifestyle choices as proof he's a ManChild, he defends himself pretty easily.
68* AManIsAlwaysEager: Inverted. Andy passes up a handful of potential partners instead of taking up with the first one who offers. He doesn't even take the first opportunity to have sex with his girlfriend. It's because he places love and romance over sex and refuses to have the latter without the former first. Not everyone gets this at first, especially Trish, who thinks there must be something wrong with her because of Andy's reluctance to have sex.
69* MilhollandRelationshipMoment: Andy hides his virginity from Trish until the very end of the movie, where she's surprised but doesn't consider it an issue at all (especially since she had mistakenly assumed he was a [[ItMakesSenseInContext deviant serial killer]]).
70* MisaimedMarketing: The tagline seen in the page pic is rather contrary to the film's actual, more empowering message. Possibly invoked, as the resulting surprise would have more impact on watchers.
71* MistakenForMurderer: Near the beginning, Cal suspects that Andy is a SerialKiller due to his shy, antisocial personality. Later, Trish makes the same assumption when she finds David's box of porn in Andy's place, a plastic 3D model of a vagina from the health clinic Andy took Marla to, and a Mento that she assumes is a date rape drug.
72* ModestyBedsheet: At the very end of the movie, [[spoiler:Andy and Trish are shown lying in bed covered by one of the L-shaped variety after [[TheirFirstTime consummating their marriage]]]].
73* NatureAbhorsAVirgin: Played with. While Andy initially tries to hide his virginity, he's not really bothered by the expectations to have sex or have sex be the central part of a relationship. His friends, however, go to great lengths to get him some action, though in the end Andy loses his virginity on his own terms.
74* NerdHoard: Andy has an absolutely massive collection of "mint-in-box" action figures from pretty much all of the major GeekReferencePool works adorning most of his apartment. He is somewhat simultaneously embarrassed and proud when love interest Trish sees it. She later talks him into to selling some of his collection online, revealing it to be worth tens of thousands of dollars.
75* NerdsAreVirgins: Played with significantly. While Andy's hobbies paint him as nerdy, it's been observed by some female reviewers that Andy should be the one with the active sex life, not ''in spite'' of his personal habits, but ''because'' of them. For instance, while his friends are observed to be whiny losers, Andy is a handsome man who prefers an "unmanly" bicycle to get around, but it helps keep him in great shape on top of his regular exercise regime, giving a handsome exterior complementing his winning interior.
76* NeverTrustATrailer: One would think looking at the trailer that the movie would be ''Film/AmericanPie'' [[AC:with [[RecycledINSPACE STEVE CARELL!]]]] Turns out the actual message of the movie is nearly the opposite.
77* NiceGuy: Sweet mercy, Andy. As the story progresses and they find out just how great a person he is, the other characters become confused and even a little upset that someone like him is still alone.
78* NippleAndDimed: Averted... by the scene ''at the quick-dating-place''. Yup, you guessed it -- WardrobeMalfunction.
79* OfCourseImNotAVirgin: At the poker game, the guys start sharing their wildest sex stories, when they ask Andy about his, he starts telling a story about a woman whose breast felt like a "bag full of sand." The guys deduce Andy has no idea what he's talking about, and start making fun of him for being a virgin, despite him loudly denying it.
80* OlderThanTheyLook: It's remarked upon a few times that Andy looks quite youthful. Taken to the utmost limit when David — played by the equally youthful-looking Paul Rudd — states that Andy looks younger than he does.
81* PacManFever: Utterly savage example: Cal and David play a Platform/PlayStation2 game with Platform/Nintendo64 controllers (one of which is upside-down). At least [[VideoGame/MortalKombat1992 what they're playing]] is portrayed correctly, if anything. Until the fatality, which the movie seems to think is interactive. (It isn't.) While the N64 controller is inexcusable, the "upside-down" controller is actually the joystick attached to the game chair Andy has. Made extra-confusing by the fact that ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' '''did''' appear on the N64, but they chose to use footage from one of the [=PS2=] ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' games instead.
82* PainfulBodyWaxing: The chest waxing scene, which makes Andy ''bleed through his shirt.'' EnforcedMethodActing, too.
83* PerformanceAnxiety: A good part of the reason why Andy is still a virgin is that the fact that he hadn't lost his virginity in his younger years caused him to feel more pressure to have sex, which made him more anxious when he tried dating women and only caused him to turn them off.
84* PornStash: David's gift to Andy, in an ill-conceived and unsuccessful attempt to make him comfortable about sex.
85-->"Hey buddy. Got a big box of porn for ya."
86** This inevitably ends up as one of the cruelest {{Brick Joke}}s ''ever''.
87* RagingStiffie: Andy has this a couple of times to the point where he has a [[IncrediblyLamePun hard]] time, uh, pointing himself towards the toilet.
88* RightForTheWrongReasons: Cal's advice is the most helpful to Andy, but his reasons and methods can be summed up as an overcorrection to Andy's problems. Cal suggests that Andy tidies up his home so Trish won't be so put off by his collectibles, but Andy ends up giving off the wrong impression with Trish turning up to an empty and miserable-looking home. When Cal advises Andy to just look confident and let women talk about themselves, Andy has much more success and gets a boost in confidence, but Cal then tells him not to rush or get into a serious relationship before losing his virginity since Trish will know he's sexually inexperienced.
89* RousseauWasRight: Several movie critics have remarked on how the humor doesn't involve teasing or pranks, but the honest, [[TheBlindLeadingTheBlind if misguided]], attempts of Andy's friends to help.
90* SexAsRiteOfPassage: Played with. Andy and Trish consummating their love ''is'' part of his development, but more as a sign of him opening himself up to mature intimacy than becoming an "adult" as he's much more mature and developed than his sexually active, but boorish and childish friends.
91* SexComedy: Four guys try to get their friend laid. Unlike the usual raunchy fare, however, the movie is much more warm and sympathetic towards Andy.
92* SexGod: Andy finally breaks his duck with an as-expected three-thrust wonder. The action then cuts to some time later after his second performance and it's clear he's astonished his more experienced new wife with "natural talent".
93%%* ShirtlessScene
94* ShoutOut: Verging on CompanyCrossReferences -- Andy has in his room a poster for ''Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000TheMovie'', and a giant poster/sticker of [[Series/{{Thunderbirds}} Thunderbird 5]] over his bed, specifically the [[Film/{{Thunderbirds}} 2004 film version]] -- both of those films and this one were produced or distributed by Creator/{{Universal}}.
95* SpeedDating: Andy's friends push him into speed dating to get him into meeting women, though it's a pretty much a bust for everybody but Jay.
96* StalkerWithACrush: David went a ''little'' overboard in regards to Amy.
97* StraightMan: The title character: much of the film's humor stems from Andy's deadpan reactions to his friends' whacky attempts to get him laid.
98* SuddenMusicalEnding: With zero buildup, the ending segues from [[spoiler:Andy and Trish in bed]] to a glorious, uplifting song and dance montage.
99* ThatsGottaHurt: During the chase scene, Steve Carell ends up going through a billboard car.
100-->'''Trish:''' Oh my god! Andy! Are you okay?!\
101'''Andy:''' There were two sides to that billboard, ''and they both hurt equally''!
102* TheirFirstTime: [[spoiler:Trish and Andy in the end.]] Their first time lasts, appropriately, all of 60 seconds. The second time, on the other hand…
103* ThisIsGonnaSuck: When Andy wakes up the morning after the poker night and realizing he needs to face his coworkers.
104* TimePassesMontage: counting down the 20 dates.
105* TrueCompanions: As misguided as they are, Andy's friends are definitely this.
106* TwoGamersOnACouch: Could this be the first film version of the TwoGamersOnACouch {{Webcomic|s}} trope?
107* UltimateJobSecurity: Numerous times over the film, Andy's coworkers have the dozens of display televisions showing nudity, whether it's a sex scene from a movie or straight-up pornography (inappropriate conduct), one of their coworkers filming his ass (inappropriate conduct mixed with indecent exposure), another watching a violent horror movie, and they're also frequently depicted using profanity up to and including racial slurs towards other coworkers on the shop floor, with one use of the n-word coming from Jay towards a black customer who is implied to be a gang-member with a -ga suffix, Jay and Mooj arguing which devolves into the pair exchanging racist insults, graphic discussions of sexual acts (such as Andy "admitting" to Jay's girlfriend that he wrote that another girl was "hurtin' for a squirtin'"), and using insults towards non-employees, such as Andy referring to her as a ho (all of which constitute as harassment) and David threatening to kill everyone in the store and himself (threats of violence and making terroristic threats). These all occur ''during opening hours with'' '''customers''' ''in the store'' and the most punishment any of them get is David merely being sent home for the day. Cal is the only one who abstains from any of these, despite being the most boorish of the employees. He does discuss the donkey show mentioned above, but this was in an employees-only part of the store and he wasn't speaking loud enough for anyone to hear.
108* UnsettlingGenderReveal: The transvestite prostitute that Jay orders for Andy causes this for both Jay and Andy. While Andy gets over it quickly and the two just settle down to watch TV together, Jay had previously gotten oral sex and keeps trying to pretend that he was actually a woman.
109* UrExample: While not the first movie ever to be entirely improvised, it was the first to expand the concept of a "line-o-rama" reel (i.e., film lots of improvs and then cut all the best parts together) from more than just BRoll of actors goofing around while filming a feature to ''being'' the feature.
110* VerbalBackspace: Cal tears David's ex a new one after their speed-dating encounter, saying that what she is putting him through is cruel and she's driving him crazy. When she informs him that David is practically stalking her, he apologizes without changing the tone or volume of his voice.
111* VirginityMakesYouStupid: Averted and played straight, along with driving the entire plot.
112* VirginShaming: This movie [[{{Deconstruction}} takes this trope apart at the seams]] [[DeconReconSwitch and sews it back up in a cultural-commentary sort of way]].
113* VolleyingInsults: "You know how I know you're gay?"
114* YouNeedToGetLaid: Not only is this the driving plot of the movie, pretty much everybody says this to Andy after learning he's a virgin. Andy himself isn't as bothered.
115* WardrobeMalfunction: During Andy's speed-dating montage, one of his dates has her nipple peek out of her shirt. She remains completely unaware of it and oblivious to Andy's resultant discomfort and repeated subtle hints to cover herself.
116* WhatHaveWeEar: How Andy attempts to impress Trish's youngest daughter.
117* WhatItSaysOnTheTin: Trish's store is called "We Sell Your Stuff on eBay".

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