judd apatow's THE FORTY-YEAR OLD VIRGIN (2005)

i've jocked Apatow enough lately, so i'll skip that, except to say that i'd forgotten how broad 40-Year Old Virgin is in a lot of ways, and much to its credit; sure, you have stuff like the chest-waxing and the face-vomiting, but the extent the film goes to the trouble to earn, and own, those sorts of gags is really a wonder. but the main thing, on watching the extended cut of the film: alternate cuts are usually something i regard with mild curiosity rather than excitement, but i remember being struck by the longer versions of Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings films (which i naturally adore) and how interesting it was to think about where and why he managed to cut so much material that, in its restored context, seems so essential. just as interesting craft-wise, though, the opposite is true of a film like The 40-Year Old Virgin, where the extended cut simply sloppies up the movie by 30%. that's not to say that extended versions of some of the funniest scenes in recent comedy aren't a joy to have access to, but comparing this newer version to the one that so impressed me in the theater is a useful highlight of what's required of a good comedic film versus a compilation, however hilarious, of funny riffs on scenes that sadly don't have any business being longer. (that's not to say 40 Year Old Virgin isn't funnier in it's longer form...it's just not necessarily as good.) again, though, a good lesson in editing: just because Apatow's films feel loose (maybe, despite the results, even a tad bit more than is good for them) doesn't mean they haven't been carefully polished. but, then, it must be that much easier now that, with DVD and all, he's only parting with the footage for four months.