Judd Apatow’s feature directorial debut, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, is getting a new 20th anniversary edition on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and digital. The 4K UHD release includes both the theatrical and unrated editions. The 40-Year-Old Virgin is also being released in theaters for a limited time, playing August 22-28 in theaters.

Andy Stitzer (Steve Carell) is a shy, 40-year-old electronics store employee who spends his free time with video games and collectible action figures. His coworkers—David (Paul Rudd), Jay (Romany Malco), and Cal (Seth Rogen)—discover during a poker night that he’s still a virgin, and the revelation quickly spreads around the store. Mortified, Andy nearly quits, but David persuades him to give dating another shot. The trio takes it upon themselves to help, offering wildly different advice that leads to a series of humiliating misadventures, including speed dating, a painful chest waxing, and an encounter with a prostitute gone wrong.

Despite the setbacks, Andy meets Trish Piedmont (Catherine Keener), a warm and practical single mother who proposes they wait until their 20th date to have sex. As their romance blossoms, Trish encourages Andy’s dream of starting a business and helps fund it by selling his prized collectibles. Her teenage daughter, Marla (Kat Dennings), brings another layer to Andy’s journey—especially after a tense disagreement with Trish about birth control leads Andy to take her to a sexual health clinic. When Marla is teased for being a virgin, Andy admits his own in order to defend her, earning her respect and deepening his bond with Trish’s family.

At work, David’s emotional meltdown over his ex leads to Andy being promoted to floor manager after a record sales day. Cal takes over Andy’s old role and hires Bernadette (Marika Domińczyk), hoping to pair her with David. Jay reconciles with his girlfriend after learning she’s pregnant, while David gradually warms to Bernadette. Through these parallel arcs, Andy’s friends begin to understand that love, trust, and timing matter more than quick conquests.

When the 20th date arrives, Andy hesitates, sparking an argument with Trish and a near-hookup with bookstore clerk Beth (Elizabeth Banks). Sobering up, he decides to pursue Trish instead. A bike crash during the chase leads to a heartfelt confession of his virginity, which she accepts without judgment. They marry in a lavish ceremony funded by the sale of his collectibles, finally consummating their relationship.

As The 40-Year-Old Virgin turns 20, it’s impossible to ignore how poorly some of its humor has aged—particularly its casual use of the R-word and its dips into homophobia and transphobia. Revisiting it now, the moments you expect to feel uncomfortable somehow land even harder. Back in 2005, the film’s outrageous tone and big laughs earned it widespread acclaim: the American Film Institute named it one of the year’s Top 10 Films, and the Critics Choice Association awarded it Best Comedy Movie.

If you set aside Seth Rogen’s minor role in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, The 40-Year-Old Virgin was my real introduction to his work. I had missed Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared when they aired, so his performance here felt fresh to me. It was also my first time seeing Kat Dennings, playing Trish’s daughter Marla—a role she absolutely lights up. She’s since gone on to bigger and better things, and we’re all the better for it. Jonah Hill also takes on a cameo two years before his breakout work in both Knocked Up and Superbad.

Of course, at the center of it all is Steve Carell, whose earnest and awkward performance grounds the film’s wilder moments. Surrounded by a sharp supporting cast, he manages to make Andy Stitzer both relatable and endearing—a big reason why the film connected with audiences then and still works, in parts, today. It may have helped that Steve Carell was already playing Michael Scott on The Office, but The 40-Year-Old Virgin truly launched him into superstardom. He earned it. Whatever one thinks of the script’s rough edges, Carell’s performance was sharp, heartfelt, and hilarious—and he fully deserved the career boost that followed. It’s still baffling that the Television Academy never awarded him an Emmy for The Office.

Judd Apatow has since branched into documentaries, but he continues directing comedies—albeit ones with a different tone. He’s largely moved away from the raunch-heavy style that defined his 2000s output, reflecting how comedy and audience sensibilities have shifted since The 40-Year-Old Virgin. You can see it in his filmography: after Trainwreck, neither The King of Staten Island nor The Bubble leaned on the same explicit humor, and even Bros (which he produced in 2022) wouldn’t be labeled raunchy.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin also reshaped the comedy landscape. It’s remarkable to think Bridesmaids came only six years later, delivering one of the funniest films of the century. Comedy begets comedy: Anchorman paved the way for The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which led to Knocked Up, which in turn opened the door for Bridesmaids. It’s fair to say that many of the most memorable comedies of the past 20 years have Apatow’s fingerprints on them, whether as director, writer, or producer.

One surprising footnote: The 40-Year-Old Virgin featured Stormy Daniels long before she became a household name for very different reasons. Honestly, I had forgotten she even appeared until I revisited the home-release bonus features.

Speaking personally, I first saw The 40-Year-Old Virgin over Labor Day weekend in 2005, at a time when I was still repressing my own gender issues. I wasn’t a critic then, so I never wrote down my thoughts about its language. Two years later, I caught Knocked Up on opening day and picked up Freaks and Geeks on DVD—not to mention watching every Judd Apatow bromance comedy as they were released. At the time, Apatow felt like a filmmaker who truly understood comedy. I was laughing hysterically so they did the job. But the culture has shifted in two decades, and so has my perspective.

Rewatching The 40-Year-Old Virgin 20 years later is a reminder of both how far comedy has come and how much it can still evolve. Its raunchy humor, improvisational energy, and sincere performances helped redefine the modern studio comedy, yet its casual use of slurs, homophobia, and transphobia makes parts of it far harder to enjoy today. The film remains an important milestone for Judd Apatow, Steve Carell, and a host of rising talents, but it’s also a snapshot of a mid-2000s comedic sensibility that no longer plays the same way. Appreciating it now means holding both truths at once—acknowledging its influence while recognizing the ways in which the laughs have aged, sometimes uncomfortably.

Bonus Features

• *NEW* 20th Anniversary Discussion – Director Judd Apatow joins Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Jane Lynch, Kat Dennings and Gerry Bednob for a lively discussion at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
• Deleted Scenes – Watch hilarious scenes not part of the final cut. Includes optional audio commentary by director/co-writer Judd Apatow and actor/co-producer Seth Rogen.
• The First Time – Watch deleted scenes focusing on Andy’s initial steps out of his comfort zone. Includes optional audio commentary by director/co-writer Judd Apatow and actor/co-producer Seth Rogen.
• Tales from the Stock Room – Watch deleted scenes that take place at Andy’s electronic store’s stock room. Includes optional audio commentary by director/co-writer Judd Apatow and actor/co-producer Seth Rogen.
• You Know How I Know You’re Gay? – Never-before-seen extra material of the infamous routine with commentary by director/co-writer Judd Apatow and actor/co-producer Seth Rogen.
• Date-A-Palooza – Watch the complete version of the speed dating scene.
• Line-O-Rama – A raucous montage of alternate jokes from different scenes.
• Judd’s Video Diaries – Follow director Judd Apatow as he works alongside cast and crew to make THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN.
• Auditions – Go beyond the movie and watch cast members like Jonah Hill and Elizabeth Banks audition for their roles in THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN.
• Raw Footage – Watch raw footage from the poker, waxing, and bathtub sequences.
• Poker Game Rehearsal – Watch as the cast read through the scene after a massive rewrite.
• Reel Comedy Roundtable – Join director Judd Apatow, star Steve Carell and the cast as they share their unforgettable stories from the cast.
• Cinemax Final Cut: The 40-Year-Old Virgin – An inside look at the most memorable and outrageous scenes.
• 1970s Sex Ed Film – Watch an old-school sex education film!
• My Dinner with Stormy – Actor/co-producer Seth Rogen has dinner with adult-film star Stormy Daniels.
• Gag Reel – Hilarious on-set moments with cast and crew.
• Waxing Doc – A documentary showing what really happened when Steve Carell was waxed.
• Feature Commentary with Director/Co-Writer Judd Apatow, Actor/Co-Writer Steve Carell and Cast

DIRECTOR: Judd Apatow
SCREENWRITERS: Judd Apatow & Steve Carell
CAST: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Leslie Mann, Jane Lynch, Kat Dennings, Gerry Bednob, Shelley Malil

Universal Pictures released The 40-Year-Old Virgin in theaters on August 19, 2005. Grade: 3/5

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