20 Year-Old Virgins (2011) was directed, written, and produced by Jordan F. Ghanma. The film aims to imitate the style of other lowbrow American coming-of-age sex comedy films that revolve around a blend of sexual hijinks, self-exploration, and friendships. The film has a monotonous plot filled with crude teenage humor reminiscent of 70’s comedies.
It tells the story of two mismatched roommates in their twenties, Gene (Albert J. Leon) and Eugene (Dawson Montoya), who already past their teenage years, still navigate through life as virgins. They are two socially awkward young men who have dreamt of crossing over to the world of “real men” which will automatically happen after losing their virginities.
To attain this goal, the pair engage in a certain number of misadventures, all of which they fail to turn out the way they were intended. Their biggest obstacles are not just their falling incompetent self, but two external chaotic figures: Rock (Ramez Alkhoury), their obnoxious neighbor who takes pleasure in bullying them and Gene’s older brother Mike (Gary Nohealii) who is arrogant and came over one day after a break up to a secretly uninvited roommate to the duo whom he ridicules all the time.
As Gene and Eugene bumble through bad dates, embarrassing parties, and other social faux paus, the process of losing their virginity turns from a mere sexual escapade into a means of self-exploration and understanding their friendship. The film wraps up in what can only be described as a chaotic series of events, where the characters learn that confidence, self-respect, and friendship matter far more than societal expectations.
Cast & Characters
Albert J. Leon as Gene – A socially challenged virgin with dreams of hypersexuality who is held back by a rough surrounding and debilitating self-esteem.
Dawson Montoya as Eugene – A loyal, silly friend who is equally naive when it comes to romance, allowing him to play the role of the ever-needed comic relief.
Ramez Alkhoury as Rock – An obnoxious high school bully, who single handedly makes the lives of Gene and Eugene miserable.
Gary Nohealii as Mike – A narcissistic character, who happens to be Gene’s older brother. With him perpetually ridiculing Gene, as he continuously outshines both of their friends.
Heather Gilliland as Rosie D – One of the girls that the boys attempt to woo, but ultimately ends up being disappointed in her first impression of the modern male.
Samantha Fife in the role of Amy, Julia Heller as Natasha, Tea Ho as Cindy, and Jessica June as Jessica – These actresses are also part of the romantic subplots, serving as comedic foil to the confusion created by the boys’ escapades.
Themes and Analysis
As stated earlier, 20 Year Old Virgins attempts to delve deeper into the issues of self esteem or self worth, the pressure of society relating to being male, or a man, sexuality, and the healing touch of friendship. They do so in a very superficial manner using broad humor to mask their purpose.
The quad in the film – Gene and Eugene portraying the virgins humorously attempts to derive comedy from the leads’ desperation and clumsiness, but more often than not borders on stale stereotypes For Gene Struck and Eugene Sullivan, the race to drink alcohol and go to bed with a woman is an adolescent rite of passage that every male is expected to go through – a beaten trope that is rarely analyzed by the film. Rather, it is treated as pure drollery which robs the narrative the chance to address the issue of young adults and the expectations they face from society.
There are a number of scenes that scream humor and pure unadulterated mockery and ridicule. However, the portion where deep and pure compassion is shown through strong friendship however is plain, the brazen unquestionable support they show to –parer to such defeating and anguishing building the audience’s attachment to the movie.
This film lacks depth in its female characters, either presenting them as overly idealized women, or as shallow stereotypes. This reflects the lack of progress the movie makes from the early 2000s raunchy comedy standards.
Execution of Visual and Comedic Aspects
The film’s production values show that it’s modest. The cinematography is unimaginative, featuring simple, well-lighted scenes that lack creative depth. Most scenes are set in dormitories, small apartments, and party scenes which don’t offer much variety.
The humor is the worst part of 20 Year Old Virgins. The film’s humor heavily relies on slapstick, cliched sex jokes, and long pauses where laughter is expected but rarely comes. The humor is overly crass, lacking finesse and timing, which makes the skits not flow organically together.
Critics Response
For viewers and critics alike, the movie sparked a largely negative sentiment. Many people found it to be unimaginative, boring, and barely humorous. The same old stereotypes – the obnoxious older sibling, the neighboring bully, and the “geeky virgin” character – were relied on too heavily, making the storyline doomed to become boring and repetitive .
Some critics were able to point out the film’s weaknesses, particularly with how unimaginative it was as it did not offer anything new for the coming-of-age or sex comedy genres. Others also mentioned that the characters were overly simplistic making it difficult for the audience to cheer for them or care about their story. Finally, the ending that sought to resolve the plot with the characters learning life lessons felt too rushed and unearned.
Despite this, there were some members of the audience who found the film to be entertaining, if only for the sake of its ridiculous premise and charming gufflower.
Final Thoughts
“Twenty Year Old Virgins” is a film that tries to be ridiculous in a youthful and chaotic way like American Pie’ orSuperbad’ but does not come close to doing so due to the lack of heart, humor and sharp writing featured in those films. With lazy humor, one-dimensional characters and corny stereotypes, the film does not achieve anything in entertaining the audience or even producing laughter.
The film will definitely attract some fans of lame and shallow comedies or those looking to numb their minds for some time, but completely fails to offer the sophistication or humor that characterizes great coming-of-age or graduating films. Sadly, for the majority of the audience, “Twenty Year Old Virgins” will be an unremarkable W movie.
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