Worse than your first time
September 26, 2010
Losing your virginity is never simple, but when a series of bizarre and unfortunate circumstances are thrown into the mix — a cheating girlfriend, a group of nosy friends and a hermaphroditic blow-up doll — things really get complicated
“The Virginity Hit”
Starring Matt Bennett and Zack Pearlman
Directed by Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland
Grade: B
Losing your virginity is never simple, but when a series of bizarre and unfortunate circumstances are thrown into the mix — a cheating girlfriend, a group of nosy friends and a hermaphroditic blow-up doll — things really get complicated.
Such is the case in “The Virginity Hit,” which explores one teenage boy’s quest to lose his virginity and the obstacles in his way. Directors Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland team up to dramatize an already awkward situation and make it completely absurd — in a totally funny way. Though the film doesn’t hold back on offensive language or illegal activity, its vulgarity only serves to further propel the humor.
The movie follows Matt, a teenage boy who is the last among his friends to cash in his v-card. Whether he’s getting thrown into a bush by his girlfriend’s dad or stealing a Ralph Lauren Black Label suit, Matt’s journey is anything but the traditional fumbling-for-a-condom process.
Referenced in the movie title, Matt and Zack — Matt’s adopted brother and best friend — share a virginity-losing ritual with their friends. After each one does the deed, they light their red “virginity bong” — obviously shaped like a woman — and take a hit. However, Matt is the only virgin left and Zack is determined to get him to bed his girlfriend of two years, Nicole.
Unfortunately for our protagonist, his girlfriend cheats on him one night at a party before they can have sex. In an effort to seek revenge, Matt and his friends decide to tape their first time, but Matt’s conscience gets in the way and he ends up with a video of her furious father hurling him into bushes that inevitably goes viral.
As if the situation weren’t complex enough, the boys manage to muddle it all more. As Matt falls further into shame, Zack continues with his well-intentioned antics that serve to worsen the situation. The duo — comparable to Seth and Evan of “Superbad” — manages to pull out of bad situations and keep the audience laughing.
Though it’s pegged as a comedy and most of the movie will make you laugh, some sentimental moments inhibit the ongoing humor. Matt and his father’s poor relationship and his mother’s earlier death are totally sobering. It gives you the feeling that this kid just can’t catch a break. These moments obviously stall the pace of the movie’s humor — it’s just fortunate that with a few bottles of liquor, the boys manage to reclaim their mission and bring the movie back to a quick clip.
“The Virginity Hit,” like many coming-of-age comedies, employs the predictable characterizations of horny teenage boys. Fortunately, the likeability of the characters endears them enough to overcome the typicality.
Matt’s sexless life will intrigue the audience and make losing it even more random than before.