The DVD box claims that this low budget comedy is “Hilarious,” and “Flat Out Hysterical!” Well, The Virginity Hit is neither hilarious or hysterical. However, that doesn’t mean it’s bad. In fact, it’s a pretty thoughtful little movie with plenty of surprisingly dramatic moments. In the realm of teenage sex romps, it reminded me more of that underrated 80’s gem, The Last American Virgin, more than American Pie. Full of some winning performances and well rehearsed gags, The Virginity Hit is a sleeper waiting to be discovered by more people than the Superbad audience to whom the film is being marketed.
Matt Bennett takes the lead as high school student, “Matt,” the lone virgin among his group of friends, Zack (Zack Pearlman), Jacob (Jacob Davich) and Justin (Justin Kline). The four pals have pledged to get stoned from a special bong each time one of them does the deed for the first time. Matt is nearing that special moment with his longtime girlfriend, Nicole (Nicole Weaver), and they’ve planned a special hotel getaway. To commemorate the momentous event, Zack has decided to record each precious moment leading up to it with his DV camera, posting the clips on Youtube. This being the generation when there are no boundaries, neither Matt or Nicole have any problem with that, even when things spin out of control.
Matt trusts Zack, though, as they’re not only best friends, but half brothers. In the first of many touching moments throughout the movie, we learn that Matt’s mom died of cancer and that his father is an alcoholic and left the family long ago. Zack’s family took the boy and and adopted him.
As the day nears when Matt and Nicole will consummate their love and finally take their virginity hit from the special bong, the boys make a startling discovery: While drunk at a college frat party, Nicole made out with a college dude and let him feel her up. Matt freaks out and feels betrayed (for good reason). Although he tries to put it behind them, Matt, being your typical teenage guy, can’t let it go. The two love birds break up. Miserably. On camera. From there, Matt sets off to lose his virginity with the help of his pals and his older step-sister (to whom he has an unhealthy attraction). The adventures of the five friends lead to a run in with Matt’s dad, an online sure thing that’s too good to be true, and an encounter with Matt’s favorite porn star, Sunny Leone.
Everything is caught on tape with Zack’s shaky cam. Shot in New Orleans, the film captures the heart of the city and its surrounding burbs. While there are many set ups to get us to laugh, the heart of The Virginity Hit is the relationship between Zack and Matt. This brotherhood faces many tests and the two boys struggle to find a way to get past betrayals and damaged feelings. Bennett and Pearlman have a strong on screen rapport that really conveys the trickiness of being best friends and brothers. Bennett is especially convincing as the nice guy whose heart has been broken and just wants to fit in with the rest of his pals. Likewise, the portrayal of young love and how fragile it can be is well done, with Weaver adding nice layers to her role.
The Virginity Hit was written and directed by Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland; the film was produced by Adam McKay, Chris Henchy and Will Ferrell, the men who created Funny or Die (you may have heard of it). This film may have been in theaters for a millisecond, I don’t know (it never made its way to any theater near my house) and the video release came and went very quickly. Hopefully it can find a cult audience. Despite its ultra low budget production values and an unknown cast, this is one movie that slipped through the cracks that is worth checking out.
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