The 40 Year-Old Virgin- ****

God bless Steve Carrell.

In the past year he’s given us three great characters- Brick in Anchorman, Michael Scott in the American remake of "The Office," and now Andy Stitzer, the 40 year-old virgin. He specializes in playing stupid, yet hilariously smart, characters, and I’m hoping more people will follow his lead. Then maybe we will not have to be force fed any more lame, sophomoric comedies like Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo.

This is a sex comedy (of sorts), so we know what we're getting into. Andy is a sweet loser who loves to collect toys and play video games. When it comes out that he’s a virgin, his fellow coworkers David (Paul Rudd), Jay (Romany Malco) and Cal (Seth Rogan) decide to make it their mission to get him laid. Cue wacky hyjinks. Andy also meets Trish (Catherine Keener), who he really likes but is afraid to make a move on, especially considering the advice he’s getting from his pals.

Oh, and his pals… I have officially decided that Paul Rudd is a comedic genius. After Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, and now this, I believe there’s nothing he can’t do. Malco and Rogan round out the foursome, and at first I was a little dismayed because I didn’t recognize them. But like in Anchorman, they create a foursome that works perfectly together and on their own. There’s never a weak link, and each character is developed enough that you even start wanting to see them succeed. There are many great cameos, too, which I won’t spoil because half the fun is seeing them pop up when they do.

I was also happy to see that the obligatory “sad part” was short, quick, and never really stopped being funny. Unlike this summer's other big comedy, Wedding Crashers, which spent its last third mired in dramatic nonsense, the script by Steve Carrell and director Judd Apatow keeps the energy and humor level, and only dwells in drama long enough to get us to another funny scene. The script also gives us four very distinct people who never break character, even in the silliest parts of the movie. Andy himself is never made an object of ridicule. Like last year’s Napoleon Dynamite, he’s a lovable loser, and that makes you root for him all the more. The movie also makes good use of its R rating, never having to delve into gross out territory for a laugh (like American Pie and all of its shoddy sequels/rip-offs), but putting what raunchiness it has to good use.

That’s not to say the movie is entirely perfect, it’s a bit overlong, and I would like to see a comedy that can sustain itself without going to the obligatory sad part, but I got over these quibbles very quickly. It makes me unbelievably happy to see that comedies are moving away from the one-funny-scene-movies that have gained popularity since the end of the 90s, and turning into very funny, consistent movies. Yes, this is a comedy, and a silly one at that, but it shows that if you take some time with your script and your characters, the result is funnier, more involving, and definitely worth the admission price.

Or, if that’s too hard, I guess you could go see Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo. But really…does anyone really WANT to do that?