Despite a sophomoric ad campaign and a semi-limited release The Virginity Hit is a bright, urgent comedy that demands to be sought out and seen. What makes this film so engaging is the way that it, better than anything that has come before, seamlessly merges the hilarity or viral videos with a standard issue narrative structure. They have given us real characters who do things that, for most of us at least, are completely idiotic yet hauntingly familiar. They derive their jokes from intimacy with their audience as opposed to ugly one-upmanship in the gross out department. The end result spends a lot of time dealing with serious issues and while that may not be palatable to the frat boys who shows up hoping for another Van Wilder it is ultimately a much more enriching experience.
Most of the film is shot in a faux documentary fashion which will certainly conjure up comparisons to The Blair Witch Project but they don’t really stick to it and it feels more like an obvious devise here. No matter, what is happening in the frame more than makes up for their questionable explanations as to how that frame came to be. It follows a group of college aged guy friends who are out to bust their first nut and provide video documentation of the whole ordeal. At the heart of the story is Matt (Matt Bennett), a geeky type who is the last of the dudes to capture the Holy Grail. His excuse is his relationship with Nicole (Nicole Weaver) that has existed for two years sans any intercourse (they lose points here for believability). And then, just as they are preparing to cross the goal line, word gets out that she may have accepted a little on the side. Matt whines and cries like a little bitch before deciding to just man up and embark on a mission of mean spirited revenge. We watch through the camera of Matt’s friends as the unpredictable evening unfolds in front of us. When the dust clears Nicole is standing there, heartbroken, radiating outrage. “You would do this just to hurt me?” she asks and your response, be it sympathy or indignation, will probably depend upon your own sexual history. After that video goes viral an attractive, older woman named Becca (Savannah Welch) contacts him and offers herself in the name of a pity lay. . .if this all sounds too good to be true you are on the right path.
What starts off sounding like the easiest piece of ass ever quickly shape shifts into a maddening series of misadventures wherein Becca reveals herself to be the most over priced, high maintenance prostitute ever. Even still, no matter how ridiculous her demands Matt is more than willing to drive across the country or commit a felony to meet them, and that really cuts to the core of what this film is about. Boys, especially those fueled on alcohol and testosterone, will be boys and at that age that usually means doing anything in the pursuit of a sexual conquest.
The fact that the people behind this film are all unknowns (who are also fine actors) works to the film’s advantage. We don’t see them as the overpriced actors playing the part but rather as the characters who were written. The males do get the better end of the deal as their characters, while archetypes, have depth and variation. On the female side of things we get people who are smoldering hot but not much else (I know, what else do you need?). The last 20 minutes or so work against the film as they seemed to have run out of good ideas. They sort of, kind of steal the ending to a certain Neil LaBute movie and then kill off the remaining time with a sugary sweet dose of fairy tale wish fulfillment. The comedy never overwhelms but rather sustains you through this delightful ride that has more in common with mumblecore than your regular mainstream fart fest. Will Ferrell and Adam McKay are the ones who discovered this gem and brought it to our attention and while their aim is hit and miss everybody should appreciate that talented indie filmmakers interested in comedy now have a viable avenue to the multiplex.
Directors: Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland
Notable Cast: Matt Bennett, Zack Pearlman, Nicole Weaver, Sunny Leone
Writers: Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland
