Crashing The Virgin

Two surprise (well, kinda surprise) hits this summer were the R-rated comedies Wedding Crashers and The 40 Year Old Virgin. They're both "old-fashioned" hits in that they opened well but then stayed bouyant due to word of mouth.

To my surprise, a number of friends have expressed a preference for the latter film. I enjoyed both, but I definitely preferred Wedding Crashers. When I asked a friend why he liked Virgin better, he said Crashers had no third act.

I admit Crashers meandered a bit near the end (before it rallied) and could easily have dropped 15 minutes, but, in fact, the reason it's superior to Virgin is its story. Until it stumbles near the end, Crashers is an enjoyable ride not merely due to its characters, but the increasingly difficult predicament they find themselves in.

Meanwhile, Virgin has no story. It has a set-up (the title), followed by a bunch of comedy sketches. Even the poorly integrated "plot" with Catherine Keener stops and starts like an old car. You could easily cut a half hour out without anyone noticing anything.

Columbus Guy says: Hmm. Does Animal House have a story? It seems more like an excuse than anything else. Brilliantly written, of course, but that doesn't imply story.

UPDATE: Anonymous writes: Animal House indeed has a story: The class struggle between the Omegas and Deltas. Dean Wormer and the Omegas want the Deltas gone. Will they succeed? While certainly episodic for pure comedy, things do escalate and the conflict between the two sides is going somewhere at all times. The fall and rise of the Deltas in the third act is certainly entertaining - at least in part because of the strong storytelling.

Columbus Guy says: Color me persuaded. (In my defense, I think I was distracted by all the sex. And if I watch it again, I will be again, too.)