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‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan

August 25, 2020 · The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) · Comedy · Romance · 1:17:17 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

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Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 11:21Steve Carell — Steve Carell - calling it his apex mountain, not hard to figure out
Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:16Steve Carell — 'definitely': smash-hit movie plus The Office simultaneously, 'the pinnacle of anyone's comedy career'; also Apatow no (Knocked Up arguable), a case for Catherine Keener yes, Six Million Dollar Man action figures 'definitely', Romany Malco 'has to be', and this era as ironic-Asia apex.
Chris Ryan▶ 1:05:34Joined the Paul Rudd discussion by praising his poker-table 'two souls' bit and the look he gives Andy, but offered no apex verdicts of his own in this window.
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:05:07Not Paul Rudd's apex ('No, but we haven't given him enough credit for being absolutely incredible in this movie' — Ant-Man was great and a huge hit); backed the Catherine Keener case by noting she was also in Capote that year; agreed this era was the apex for Best Buy-style tech stores.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 12:12Does this become an incel comedy if this is 2020?
Bill Simmons▶ 1:07:07Answered Sean's question from lived experience: those stores really were all badly run by jackasses (Boston's Tweeter, Circuit City) — every visit was an annoying salesman offering no guidance — so the movie matches reality.
Chris Ryan▶ 1:07:34Answered why it's a recurring comedy theme: 'because all of us had the experience,' and the writers all lived in the valley thinking 'this must be such a weird place to work'.
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:06:58His explicitly labeled unanswerable question: Smart Tech was really, really badly run — and why is the badly-run electronics store (also Vince Vaughn's in Old School) a recurring theme in 2000s comedies?

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 32:09Multiple scenes including Best Buy opening with Seth Rogen's horse story, Paul Rudd's Michael McDonald rant, poker game 'bag of sand' scene (personal favorite), Leslie Mann scene, body waxing scene, Paul Rudd bringing porn/Boner Jams, speed dating, first date call, support group, and virginity/musical ending
Chris Ryan▶ 39:52Extended version of Kevin Hart and Romany Malco scene, plus general agreement with other mentioned scenes
Sean Fennessey▶ 37:41Highlights Boner Jams 03 as favorite line, bookstore scene with 'be David Caruso and Jade' as best line in movie, and appreciation for extended Kevin Hart/Romany Malco scene

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 51:39eBay store concept, VHS technology and porn collections on VHS, and the 'I know you're gay' theme/gay panic jokes
Chris Ryan▶ 52:49VHS/DVD dual player references and Paul Rudd's character's stalker behavior toward his ex-girlfriend
Sean Fennessey▶ 52:34Technology references like VCRs, recordable CDs, and VHS/DVD dual players; gay panic jokes that wouldn't play well today

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 54:48Jason Segel — Jason Segel was supposed to play one of the buddies alongside Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen, but Universal refused to allow Apatow to cast him

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 55:30Gerry Bednob — Mooch (Jerry Bedknapp)
Sean Fennessey▶ 58:18Kevin Hart

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 1:00:44Shared multiple trivia facts: Gary Shanlin's idea for the ending, Technicolor champagne tradition, fish deaths preventing animal safety certification, Leslie Mann's drunk research with Seth Rogen, repurposed Staples store as set, movie's influence on The Office character development
Chris Ryan▶ 1:01:25Discussed the meaninglessness of animal safety certifications since movies can still be released without them, and engaged with various trivia points
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:04:06Added that Catherine Keener was also in Capote the same year, playing Harper Lee

Picking Nits

Bill Simmons▶ 1:08:44No nitpicks - the movie ties up all the potential complaints and addresses the central premise credibly through research
Chris Ryan▶ 1:09:30No nitpicks - hard to have nitpicks because the movie fully creates its own reality

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:14:25Judd Apatow — Apatow - agrees with Sean's case that this set up the next 15 years for Judd despite considering Carell
Chris Ryan▶ 1:14:38Discusses how the movie's success helped both Apatow and Carell (giving The Office runway, making Carell a movie star doing TV), but doesn't give definitive pick
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:13:25Judd Apatow — Apatow - kicked off 10 years of him at center of American movie comedy, gave him credibility and auteur status

Movies Referenced (20)

Munich (2005)

16 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 25:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ant-Man (2015)

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 1:06:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Knocked Up (2007)

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 17:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:11:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Apocalypse Now (1979)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 4:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 28:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

As Good as It Gets (1997)

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bad Boys (1995)

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 9:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 25:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Clerks (1994)

1 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 17:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Crash (2004)

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 25:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dangerous Minds (1995)

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:16:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (7)

Billy Wilder

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Apartment, Some Like It Hot▶ 28:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Hal Ashby

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for In the Heat of the Night, Harold and Maude, Being There▶ 9:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Colorado

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Hancock▶ 32:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Lil Pump

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Deadpool 2, Good Boys▶ 29:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sonic Youth

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for If I Stay, The Perks of Being a Wallflower▶ 49:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Stormy Daniels

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The 40-Year-Old Virgin▶ 49:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Friedkin

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for To Live and Die in L.A., The French Connection, The Exorcist▶ 47:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (46)

Seth Rogen

21 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for This Is the End, Superbad, Pineapple Express▶ 3:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Paul Rudd

18 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp▶ 3:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Steve Carell

17 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Foxcatcher▶ 10:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Romany Malco

13 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Think Like a Man▶ 9:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kevin Hart

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Ride Along, Central Intelligence, Grudge Match▶ 19:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Catherine Keener

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Being John Malkovich, Capote, The 40-Year-Old Virgin▶ 13:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Leslie Mann

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Knocked Up, This Is 40, The Other Woman▶ 35:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael McDonald

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for The 40-Year-Old Virgin, No Way Out, Twister▶ 32:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Elizabeth Banks

6 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for The Hunger Games, The Lego Movie▶ 9:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Johnny Hoops

6 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Babylon▶ 0:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Oscar Goodman

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Casino▶ 26:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Amy Schumer

5 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for I Feel Pretty▶ 7:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (5)

Judd Apatow

33 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for The King of Staten Island, Knocked Up▶ 2:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Edward R. Murrow

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 27:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Harper Lee

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for To Kill a Mockingbird▶ 1:04:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 29:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Goldman

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, The Princess Bride▶ 24:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (2)

Michael Grantland

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Taking of Pelham 123, The Other Guys▶ 45:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Scott

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Speed, Twister, Donnie Darko▶ 1:14:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗