It’s funny, sure, and it will entertain (unless of course
you are a middle-aged man with cherry still in-tact), but much like
eating an entire box of cookies, when you should have only tasted the
one, it’s a movie best suited to a television show skit –
the briefer, the better. Still, there are at least five or six
good moments in here – and they’re close to undie-wetters.
Already, it’s better than Will Ferrell’s most recent crop
of crap. Rising comic superstar Steve Carell (Anchorman, Bruce Almighty, the upcoming Get Smart)
plays the title character – an unworldly, rather geekish man that
becomes even more of a joke to his oversexed and boisterous co-workers
– played by Paul Rudd, Romany Malco and Seth Rogen – when
they discover the closest he’s got to a ‘bust’ is
watching the last five minutes of an NYPD Blue episode. The
search is then on to get a woman to make Andy (Carell) a man, and boy,
do the ladies – well, most of them are ladies, one has a rather
suspicious Adams apple – come out of the woodwork. Sadly, the
couple that do take a shine to the cordial comic-book geek are as
together as a half-finished go-kart. Ultimately, Andy crosses
paths with Trish (Catherine Keener), who runs the shop across the road
from his. They click, but he, of course, is a little hesitant to go
horizontal jogging with her, and that naturally, gives her mixed
signals. There are some stellar moments in the film, especially
early on, when Andy’s big secret is newly discovered, but
unfortunately, there’s not enough to sustain a 115-minute movie.
Still, it never gets dull – and compared to some of the other
comedy clunkers of the last twelve months that is saying something.
After all, some are still waking from Kicking and Screaming, whilst others are yet to be informed that they can open their eyes – Meet the Fockers is finished. Steve
Carell does have something - I have to admit. He’s a very
likeable screen presence, and is a good fit for the role here.
Unfortunately he doesn’t seem to know his character that well
though, and at times it makes his performance come off as a little
unsure – is he a dork with only a peanut-for-a-brain? Or is he
really a naïve, sweet charmer? He doesn’t even seem to know. Still,
this is a surprisingly good time, and if only the editor had taken to
the scissors to a couple of those long-drawn out scenes in the chunky
middle – we might have had an even better film. EXTRASDVD
Extras include an extra 17 minutes of footage woven back into the
flick, a reasonably informative and just as amusing commentary track
from Carell, Director Judd Apatow and the cast, some deleted and
extended scenes (as most people know, my pet peeves start with deleted
and end with scenes), and a couple of other featurettes, including one
where co-star Seth Rogen meets an adult film star. Conclusion:
Movie 60% Extras: 60% 
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