by SARAH ROWLAND

Second only to Will Ferrell's hilarious performance, Steve Carell's portrayal of a mentally challenged meteorologist was the funniest thing about Anchorman. And considering the 2004 newsroom spoof boasted a cast of who's who in contemporary comedy, that's something to be proud of. But stealing scenes from the likes of Luke Wilson and Ben Stiller is still no reason to give Carell his own movie, at least not yet. It just seems like too much of a comic leap to go from making retarded weatherman jokes to playing a leading man in a pseudo-romantic comedy. Anchorman producer Judd Apatow thought otherwise. He produced, directed and co-wrote The 40-Year-Old Virgin with Carell.

Using some familiar faces, here's what they came up with: Andy (Carell) is a comic-collecting, Dockers-wearing, tech-head who keeps to himself at the home-entertainment shop where he works, until one night co-workers David (Paul Rudd, who was the roving reporter in Anchorman) and Cal (Seth Rogen, who was Christina Applegate's over-eager cameraman) invite him to sit in on a poker game. While exchanging nastiest-fuck-you-ever-had stories, Andy's inexperience gives him away, and the mission to get him laid by any means possible begins. We're introduced to an onslaught of transvestite hookers, lonely head-cases and some "drunk bitches." Somewhere in there, Andy meets his love interest Trish (Catherine Keener). But his friends are quick to advise him, "Stop puttin' the pussy on the pedestal."

As unfunny, predictable and borderline misogynistic as these vignettes are, it's Carell's muddled performance that really stinks up this wank fest. He never really finds his character. Sometimes he's riffing on a sedated version of Jerry Lewis, other times he's trying on The Jerk for size, and then, without warning, he attempts (unsuccessfully) to pull off, "Hey, I'm just a regular bloke who just happens to have a comb-over and an underutilized member" shtick. On top of it all, the beady-eyed actor lacks the vulnerability of a romantic lead. As he proved with his Uncle Arthur bit in Bewitched, he's more creepy-funny than adorable-funny. By the end, this movie about firsts felt more like a career-destroying last for Carell.

The 40 Year-Old Virgin opens Friday, Aug. 19

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