The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)

It's never too late to open yourself up to love, even if you've spent years convincing yourself you're fine on your own. Judd Apatow's directorial debut, "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," which he co-wrote with star Steve Carell, finally made a leading man of the cult comic actor, long beloved for his work on "The Daily Show" and in supporting roles in "Bruce Almighty" and "Anchorman." The premise says it all: Andy (Carell), a sweet, shy electronics store clerk who collects action figures, has reached 40 without ever having sex, and when his co-workers find out, they make it their mission to help him. Along the way come hilarious scenes involving his friends' questionable coaching, speed dating, an awkward proposition from his female boss and a painfully memorable chest waxing. Carell finds both humor and humanity in Andy, and the supporting cast shines, including Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen and Romany Malco as his well-meaning pals, Jane Lynch as his forward manager and Catherine Keener, in an unusually low-key performance as Trish, the single mom who wins his heart. And yet something doesn't quite click. The film skirts the subject of male sexual anxiety, mining it for easy laughs but never digging deep enough to truly make the men in the audience squirm, and it's less funny as a result. Still, there are plenty of great bits, and Carell deserves his moment in the spotlight.