Which 2005 romantic comedy stars Steve Carell as Andy Stitzer?

The 2005 romantic comedy starring Steve Carell as Andy Stitzer is The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Andy is a shy electronics-store employee whose co-workers discover that he has never had sex and decide to help him find a relationship.

The film was directed by Judd Apatow in his feature directorial debut and co-written by Apatow and Carell. Its supporting cast includes Catherine Keener as Trish, Andy’s eventual love interest, along with Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, Seth Rogen, and Jane Lynch. The comedy’s central conflict is not simply Andy’s virginity but his anxiety about intimacy and his fear of being judged.

Carell and Apatow developed the idea from a sketch Carell had performed with the improv troupe Second City. Apatow was inspired to build a feature around Carell after seeing him in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. The result became a major breakthrough for Carell as a leading film actor.

The title is sometimes confused with later Apatow-associated comedies such as Knocked Up or with Carell’s Date Night. Those films feature different characters and premises. Andy Stitzer belongs specifically to The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which was released by Universal in August 2005.