THE FILM:

All of Matt's high school friends are losing their virginity. Matt's best friend and stepbrother Zack primarily sees the world through the viewfinder of a camcorder, and decides to document Matt's mission to get laid. Things do not work out as planned for Matt in The Virginity Hit, a mockumentary produced by comedy heavyweights Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. The group of unknown actors thrown together as a comedy troupe no doubt had fun making The Virginity Hit, but even the film's blasé attitude cannot disguise the fact that it is not funny.

Matt (Matt Bennett) aims to lose his virginity on his two-year anniversary with girlfriend Nicole (Nicole Weaver). On the eve of his romantic dinner date and dive into manhood, Matt hears through the grapevine that Nicole may have cheated on him at a college party. Instead of asking Nicole, Matt decides secondhand information from any old person will do. Devastated over his girlfriend's supposed indiscretions, Matt allows Zack (Zack Pearlman) to persuade him to get revenge on Nicole by dumping her right after they have sex. On the night of the big date, Matt and Zack install sound recording equipment in a hotel room that will allow Zack and his friends to listen to the performance and subsequent confrontation. Matt backs out of humiliating Nicole at the last minute, and Nicole's transgressions turn out to be less extreme than expected. Depressed and without a girlfriend, Matt turns to less conventional ways of finding someone to love.

Perhaps I am too far removed from a high school setting to enjoy this movie, but something about The Virginity Hit left a sour taste in my mouth. The mockumentary concept is growing tiresome, and The Virginity Hit is far too concerned with its fake authenticity to be entertaining. That the actors used their real first names is a cute touch, but it doesn't make them any less annoying. I didn't buy for one minute that Matt would ever date Nicole, who is infinitely more attractive and personable. Matt is such a pushover that he allows his stepbrother to shape his every move. Why Zack's friends allow him to film nearly every aspect of their lives is unclear, but Zack's constant probing becomes annoying within the first fifteen minutes of the film. The plan to humiliate Nicole is also downright mean; not funny mean, just mean.

Zack posts a video on YouTube chronicling Matt's failed date and subsequent confrontation with Nicole's dad that becomes an instant viral hit. One woman who sees the video offers to sleep with Matt out of pity, amusement or a combination of the two. In order for this to happen, Matt has to adhere to certain grooming requirements and acquire a $1,000 Ralph Lauren suit. Matt cannot afford the suit, so he steals it from the Polo store with the help of his friends. This scene and several others had me groaning "these damn kids" at the screen. To make matters worse, Zack's annoying narration and the film's inflated self-importance are downright grating.

In order to make Matt a sympathetic character, the film recounts his mom's death from cancer and his dad's struggles with addiction. Fortunately, Zack's family adopted Matt and raised him like a son. Even so, one especially unfunny scene shows Matt nearly losing his virginity to sassy older stepsister Krysta (Krysta Rodriguez). When that doesn't work, Matt gets in touch with his favorite porn star to see if she is down for some action. This mishmash of scenes means the film's tone is all over the place, and directors Andrew Gurland and Huck Botko seem to forget that ridiculous antics aren't necessarily funny.

I feel like a grouch for failing to find much of anything to like about The Virginity Hit, but the whole movie reeks of amateur hour at a community theater. The actors, with the exception of the appealing Weaver, are little better than those found in a high school theatrical production, and all of them lack comedic timing. The Virginity Hit tries hard to be a topical comedy, and it tries hard to be outrageous. Regrettably, the final product is neither.

THE DVD:

PICTURE:

Columbia Pictures presents The Virginity Hit on DVD with a decent 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The cast shot much of the film with handheld cameras, so it appears appropriately erratic on DVD. Depending on the shot, detail and sharpness can vary sharply, and the shimmering and rough edges inherent in this style of filmmaking are often present. Blacks can be slightly oppressive and some shots are very grainy, but skin tones and textures appeared realistic and the image appears to have avoided any excessive digital manipulation.

SOUND:

The film's 5.1 Dolby Digital surround track is not especially dynamic, but it gets the job done. The film is meant to sound like a home movie, and it frequently does. Dialogue is generally clear and is not overshadowed by music or ambient noise, but there is not a lot of depth to the track. The rear speakers and subwoofer also avoid much of a workout. While it will not show off your home theater's audio system, the film's 5.1 track is perfectly acceptable in light of the source material. French, Spanish, Portuguese and Thai 5.1 tracks also are available, as are English, English SDH, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean and Thai subtitles.

EXTRAS:

Extras are sparse and include a tiresome filmmaker commentary, a screen test with Matt and Zack (6:50), Zack's Funny or Die audition (1:56), a Line-O-Rama (3:18) and Jersey Girl (3:44), a featurette about the actress who plays Nicole in the film and still works as a restaurant hostess.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Grating and slightly distasteful, The Virginity Hit is not the edgy teen comedy it aims to be. Protagonist Matt's drive to lose his virginity might have been funnier had he not resorted to a plethora of childish antics to seal the deal, and his stepbrother Zack's annoying obsession with his camcorder is not worth the mockumentary payoff. Columbia Pictures' DVD is technically acceptable, but the film is a dud. Skip It.

William lives in Burlington, North Carolina, and looks forward to a Friday-afternoon matinee.