Film

The Last American Virgin

Name: The Last American Virgin
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1982
Cast: Lawrence Monoson, Diane Franklin, Steve Antin, Joe Rubbo, Louisa Moritz

Comedy

A scrappy 1982 teen comedy about three working-class friends navigating sex, jealousy, and the humiliation of unrequited love. It's bawdy and earnest at once—crude jokes punctuated by genuine moments of vulnerability. For anyone who loves coming-of-age films that treat adolescent longing as something real, not ridiculous.

TMDb rating

3.3

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like raunchy, character-driven teen comedies where loyalty between friends is tested by bruised egos, and you don't mind rough edges.

Skip it if the crudeness is the point, so if juvenile sex jokes and a loose, shaggy structure wear thin fast, the next ninety minutes will feel long.

What it asks of you: Its rhythm is loose and episodic, with long stretches of hanging around and a tone that swings between goofy and mean, though at 93 minutes it never overstays.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Fast Times at Ridgemont High1982

The definitive '80s teen ensemble film—equally funny and achingly human about desire, friendship, and the gap between who you are and who you want to be.

But Some of its sexual content hasn't aged gracefully; the pacing can feel episodic and loose if you're used to tighter comedies.

Diner1982

Male friendships at the center; conversations that matter more than plot; the particular melancholy of growing up and growing apart. Understated and perfect.

But It's talky and plotless by design. If you need momentum or clear stakes, you'll feel it dragging.

Porky's1981

Equally crude, equally ensemble-focused, equally invested in the social rituals of being a teenage boy. Knows exactly what it is and commits fully.

But It's raunchier with less heart. If you're after sincerity alongside the smut, this skews too far toward pure joke-making.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Last American Virgin

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Lianna1983

Both are about the way desire upends friendships and hierarchies. Both treat the inner lives of people on the margins seriously.

John Sayles' understated masterpiece about a woman discovering her sexuality late and the friendships it fractures. As much about desire and betrayal, but from an entirely different angle—the perspective of someone learning to want for the first time.

But It's contemplative and quiet, with no jokes. If you're coming for comedy, you'll find something closer to drama.

My Own Private Idaho1991

A radical reworking of male friendship and desire. Still messy, still vulnerable, still about young men trying to survive and connect.

But It's a Gus Van Sant art film—much more elliptical and sorrowful. A very different beast tonally.

Superbad2007

Direct spiritual descendant: three friends, one girl, the entire cosmos hanging on it. Funny, neurotic, touching, with real affection for teenage awkwardness.

But The digital cinematography and modern idiom put it in a different world. Some find the humor broader.

Almost Famous2000

Cameron Crowe's love letter to male friendship, music, and the dangerous magic of growing up fast. Gorgeous and genuinely moving.

But It's more epic and romantic in scope. If you want intimate, sweaty, lower-stakes teen comedy, this reaches for something grander.

Can't Hardly Wait1998

A huge ensemble teen comedy that takes its characters seriously even as it jokes. Earnest about the stakes of teenage longing.

But Late-'90s production design and some dated humor; it's sweeter and less crude than *Last American Virgin*.

Revenge of the Nerds1984

Outsider friendships, misfit solidarity, the sting of not fitting in. Also of the era, also warm-hearted underneath the gags.

But The tone is broader and more cartoonish. It's less interested in vulnerability than in wish-fulfillment.

The Sure Thing1985

A road movie built on male friendship and the collision between desire and actual human connection. Charming and smartly constructed.

But More polished and romantic. Lacks the grimy, lived-in authenticity of the earlier film.

Dazed and Confused1993

Both are ensemble films about male friendship and status anxiety, told in a minor key. Both love their characters without sentimentalizing them.

Linklater's tapestry of interconnected teenagers across one day. Loose, funny, achingly aware of how arbitrary these social hierarchies are. Feels lived-in and true.

But Plot is almost nonexistent—it's pure mood and character. Some find it meandering or slight.

The Breakfast Club1985

Both center on the interior lives of teenage boys and the way friendship becomes a shelter against an indifferent world. Both arrive at empathy through awkwardness.

John Hughes' five-person chamber piece strips away the comedy to expose the loneliness underneath the bravado. A different tone entirely, but the DNA is identical: teenagers trying to survive social taxonomy.

But It's earnest and emotional where *Last American Virgin* is jokey. The tonal whiplash is real if you're not ready for it.