The Virginity Hit Review

• 3rd Mar 2011

From the writers of The Last Exorcism and produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay comes a sex comedy for the YouTube generation. With that in mind, can The Virginity Hit really be the next logical step for the overcrowded and stale teen sex comedy sub-genre?

Well in a way yes and no. It is certainly an interesting take on this tired and formulaic set-up, particularly during the first 15 minutes. But what is seen as original, quickly becomes tedious and unfunny; which is a shame, as it shows promise early on, only to blow its comedic load before the half-way point. Seeing the stereotypical, kind-hearted geek lose his virginity has never been so boring.

As they smoke from a stylised bong, the film sees four friends making a pact that when each one loses their virginity, a bonding session will commence. After the first three successfully get their leg over, it is left to geeky Matt to try and pop his cherry with long-term girlfriend Nicole. With a plan in mind, his step-brother decides to film it and place it on YouTube. But things don’t go according to plan.

Taking this tired formula and adding the mockumentary style to proceedings does inject a few brief interesting moments. But it works more against it than for it, as the character of Zack (the brother) has an over-reliance to film anything and everything. This renders most sequences as pointless fillers or tests your patience during the more frustrating moments of poor shot composition.

Ultimately, it becomes little more than a marginally interesting mess, with the cinema verite style of film-making feeling off-kilter and genuinely not suited to a comedy film. For a genre film such as horror or its many sub-genres, it works extremely well to invoke a pulse-pounding emotion. However for a comedy film, there are very few punch lines that are worthwhile. Here, half of the dialogue is subtitled due to the poor sound, which leads a joke to either fall flat or trail-off into a set of mumbled incoherency.

Unfortunately, only a few moments actually standout; such as a daring robbery of an expensive suit – one of the rare scenes that genuinely produced a chuckle, along with a sequence where the friends break into Matt’s ex-girlfriend’s house. This is also where the film gains a short spurt of much needed energy. It is a genuine shame though, as even these sequences (while funny at times) still feel tired and worn in their ways. Nothing seems new or fresh; feeling very much like a pair of worn slippers – comfortable at times but ultimately passed their usefulness.

The majority of the comical moments lack a focused approach, relying too much on absent minded juvenile humour – being unable to mature past jokes on flatulence, swearing and various bodily functions. The improvised nature of the film quickly becomes glaringly obvious and all too clear as the jokes continue to fall flat or wander-off completely during scenes. Matt Bennett is one of the few things that make this watchable, with his Woody Allen like attitude and neurosis with females.

As an un-involving time waster and minor diversion, it is passable. But for anyone else out of their teens, it becomes a wasted opportunity and frustrating mess containing very little that will be remembered after the credits roll. Included on the disc is a smattering of extras and a selection of bog-standard trailers for current or upcoming releases. All of which are as equally forgettable as the feature.

Dominic O’Brien