The best film of the year

It's been quite a while since I left a theater giddy, high on celluloid. I thought something had been permanently altered in my DNA. The thrill was gone. I thought I was a complete sourpuss. "The Wedding Crashers" mainly drove me crazy after the first 20 minutes. "The Best of Youth" - which was supposed to the best movie of the year according to many critics - also only contained 20 minutes of magic (out of six hours!). Popular fare like "The March of the Penguins" was fun, but only if you could tune out Morgan Freeman's insufferable anthropomorphism of the flightless fowl.

But it wasn't me! I am fine. The movies were broken.

The movie that restored my faith? "The 40 Year-Old Virgin." It's true! I'm going to sound like an insane person here, but the best movie of the year is "The 40 Year-Old Virgin." First of all, it is funny. A minute does not go by without a laugh. Second, it's smart. Third, somehow, it is actually warm and sweet, while remaining raunchy. It is a sex comedy with real heart (something "The Wedding Crashers" attempted, only to fail miserably.)

Like someone in love, I can only babble about the object of my affection. My sister and I have been trading our favorite scenes and quotes. I prefer the Guatemalan love song. She likes it when actor Seth Rogan says he wants to... well, I really shouldn't write what he wants to do. This is Minnesota Public Radio. In short, the movie has turned me into one of those fans who can't think of a single interesting thing to say about the movie because all I want to do is parrot it in an attempt to relive how much fun I had while in the theater.

This movie is a classic.

"The Beautiful Country" is the finest movie I have seen in years.