History Film / TheFortyYearOldVirgin

* 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.

* {{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.

* 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.

* CringeComedy: Anybody remembering their first forays into romance will cringe at Andy's awkward attempts at flirting using his friends' advice

* 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 were 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.

* 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.]]

* {{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.

%%* LetsWaitAwhile: In the end, [[spoiler: Andy and Trish.]]

* 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.

* 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]].]]

* 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.

* 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.

* 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 (inapproprate 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 harrasment) 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.

* PacManFever: Utterly savage example: Cal and David play a UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 game with UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} 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.

* CoolLoser: Played with for Andy. On the one hand, he has many stereotypically "nerdy" and "child-like" interests and hobbies such as collecting action figures, reading comic books, and playing video games. On the other hand, he does not have an overtly nerdy manner of dress, does not wear glasses, has a fairly muscular physique from working out a lot (and from riding a bicycle everywhere in lieu of even having a driver's license) and is played by the handsome and manly-looking Steve Carell. Carrell even worked out extensively for the role and Apatow liked the idea, to reinforce that Andy's virginity is due to his shyness rather than his looks.

* 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 were 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 try 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.

* HollywoodDateless: 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.
** To be fair up until the movie he never really tried to date after his formative years.

* DragQueen: "If she was a transvestite, she was ''the Art/MonaLisa of transvestites''." [[AvertedTrope Averted]], though, in that she is betrayed by a ''quite deep'' voice.

* PacManFever: Utterly savage example: Cal and David play a UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 game with UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} controllers (one of which is upside-down). At least [[VideoGame/MortalKombat1 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.

* 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, one of their coworkers filming his ass, 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. 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.

* ADateWithRosiePalms:
** Averted; David wants to get Andy into it, but Andy just doesn't feel comfortable.
** Played straight with a ''very'' naked Elizabeth Banks and a removable showerhead.

* 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 were she had to move and change her phone number. While keeping it in check for kost 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 try 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.

* BeastialityIsDepraved: Cal tells Andy that he spent his weekend in Tijuana with some friends and decided to see a horse show with his them, thinking it'd be awesome seeing a woman bang a horse. He ended up just feeling bad for both participants.

* 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 were she had to move and change her phone number. While keeping it in check for kost 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 try to "sell" a customer a video camera despite the poor man just eanting 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.

* 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, one of their coworkers filming his ass, another watching a violent horror movie, and they're also frequently depicted using profanity up to and including racial slurs 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, 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 reffering to her as a ho. 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.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: Averted; David wants to get Andy into it, but Andy just doesn't feel comfortable.

* NippleAndDimed: Averted... by the scene ''at the quick-dating-place''. Yup, you guessed it -- WardrobeMalfunction. [[GagBoobs And something else, too.]]

* AnAesop: The theme of the movie is that it doesn't matter what age you lose your virginity or have sex, as long as you're 100% comfortable and happy with your partner.

* DragQueen: "If she was a transvestite, she was ''the Mona Lisa of transvestites''." [[AvertedTrope Averted]], though, in that she is betrayed by a ''quite deep'' voice.

* {{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 was the actual theme of the movie, is sex really a vital part of growing up? Or is it the romance and responsibility behind sex that's more important than the act itself?