GIVE IT UP FOR THIS 'VIRGIN'.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

AS UNABASHEDLY raunchy (and proud of it) as its title would imply, ``The 40-Year-Old Virgin'' is this generation's ``Losin' It.''

But - and here's the genius of the concept - since the character is old enough to have grown up watching Tom Cruise's crude teen comedy, ``Virgin'' caters both to today's randy teenagers and horndogs from yesteryear who have matured (slightly) but still enjoy watching a bunch of lunkheaded losers go about their business.

And, just as important, director Judd Apatow, who co-wrote the movie with star Steve Carell, has taken a page from the Farrellys' ``There's Something About Mary'' playbook and grounded the movie with a recognizably human protagonist. Like ``Wedding Crashers,'' ``Virgin'' is essentially a chick flick awash in bodily fluids. It's not as consistently funny as ``Crashers,'' but it's funny enough to keep you entertained through its feel-good finish.

In a fine piece of character work, Carell plays Andy, a middle-age man who, because of a bad encounter or three, has decided that it's best to avoid women and concentrate on building his collection of action figures. This course of action might be OK with Andy, but when his doofus co-workers discover his status (their first tip-off is when Andy likens a breast to a bag of sand), they make it their mission to get their friend some sex.

That these guys - Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen and Romany Malco play the well-meaning buddies with comic brio - are more clueless than Andy when it comes to the fairer sex accounts for a fair share of the film's laughs, as does the inevitable parade of humiliations that Andy must endure. ``Be like David Caruso in 'Jade,' '' Rogen tells Carell. The surprise isn't so much that the advice works, but that Carell's Andy knew what he was talking about in the first place. (Who saw ``Jade''?)

But deep down, Andy doesn't want to be like David Caruso. He wants a woman. (Are the two mutually exclusive? The movie does not explore this existential question.) He meets a fine one in Trish (Catherine Keener), but Andy can't help but think that once Trish discovers his Secret, she'll dump him in a New York minute.

Watching Andy work through that fear is essentially the heart of ``The 40-Year-Old Virgin.'' It's a romantic-comedy masquerading as crude, adolescent romp - and doing a pretty good job of it. Which means that there's something for everyone, which also means that the movie is a good 20 minutes too long because Apatow is busy hopscotching from one demographic to another, trying to cater to everyone's emotional and comedic needs.

Such a scattershot approach isn't always satisfying, but that's OK because Apatow and Carell know one essential truth that puts them ahead of the game - namely, that watching a good-hearted virgin is infinitely more enjoyable than spending time with a European gigolo.

Glenn Whipp, [phone]

glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com

THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN - Three stars

(R: pervasive sexual content, language, some drug use)

Starring: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, Seth Rogen.

Director: Judd Apatow.

Running time: 1 hr. 55 min.

Playing: In wide release.

In a nutshell: Another chick flick masquerading as a raunchy sex comedy - and doing a pretty good job of it.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Steve Carell and Catherine Keener get to know each other in ``The 40-Year-Old Virgin.''