40 Days and 40 Nights (2002) User Reviews

Hartnett is charismatic enough to make it work

[Boyo-2 · 7/10 · 4 March 2002]

Josh Hartnett is a good looking kid who does not use his looks to put up a wall between him and the audience in this movie. He seems very human and sweet. This helps in a lot in this movie because he's the 'sex object' who is not getting any, and you don't mind not seeing him 'add another notch to the bedpost.'

Since all of his conquests make him feel bad or doomed for unhappiness, Matt (Hartnett) feels he must take drastic action by not giving in to any sexual urges.

He becomes the subject of an intense office pool and some of the girls who had bet on a specific day he would 'cave in' make moves on him. A website is dedicated to him and he is soon referred to as 'Vow Boy.'

The movie has a lot of laughs. A couple of scenes seem retundant and a couple don't belong at all, but for the most part this is pleasant enough entertainment. Josh gets some big laughs, more than anyone else, but his roommate and his boss get some too. Josh has some good chemistry with Shannyn Sossamon who plays Erica. 7/10.

Not nearly as bad as I thought it would be

[Benjy · 6/10 · 11 June 2002]

First off this is far from a great movie but it's an ok night of entertainment if a) you're in the mood for a sex farce and b) there's nothing better on at the cinema. It has a lot of flaws, most notably the liberal applying of schmaltz across the whole film but it does have it's rewarding moments and interesting characters such as the Bagel guy who knows everything except how to turn up on time. A lot of the comedy is too heavy handed but there are moments which genuinely made me laugh. I particularly liked Josh Hartnett's Priest to be brother struggling to listen to Josh's tales of sexual encounters.

That said the two main characters are somewhat lacking in life and could have done with a bit more development. This is a largely French funded film and it does show in places. There are elements of French farce about it but with transposing the action to California it was always inevitable there'd be the standard Hollywood ending and it doesn't "disappoint" in that respect.

Hopefully this won't be the best film you'll see this year but it certainly could be worse.

Average movie at best

[perfectbond · 6/10 · 4 June 2003]

I just didn't enjoy the premise of this film. There were some amusing scenes but too often I groaned at the antics of the cardboard characters in this film. I think the primary purpose of this film was to establish Josh Hartnett as a romantic leading man. I think he can be a great one but hopefully he will get to work with better material than this in the future. He is a superb actor as evidenced by his work in Black Hawk Down, "O," and even the critically dogged Pearl Harbor. Nevertheless, for my tastes, this film rates a 5 out of 10.

Some Laughs; Some Cringes; Make this a Rental 6/10

[The_Wood · 6/10 · 2 March 2002]

40 Days and 40 Nights is a one joke comedy that is pretty funny. As the same joke wears on though, the film becomes tiresome. The script lacks; but the performances make up for it. Josh Hartnett gives another excellent performance -- but the real stars are the two GORGEOUS women: Shannyn Sossamon and Vinessa Shaw.

Young adults looking for a sex comedy -- with plenty of sex and nudity -- this is your film. People looking to laugh a lot, try something else and wait for this one on video.

Holding out for the One...

[jon.h.ochiai · 8/10 · 4 March 2002]

Michael Lehman's "40 Days and 40 Nights" is a surprisingly funny, smart, edgy romantic comedy with an amazing sweetness to it. This is a feat given some of the graphic dialog, and outrageous sight gags. Credit the star power of Josh Hartnett, the skillful direction of Michael Lehman, and a brisk and "in your face" screenplay by Rob Perez. The movie intends to offend, and we give it permission to do so-- the effect is a fun time at the movies.

Josh Hartnett plays young Dot Commer, Matt, who is suffering since his break up 6 months ago from Nicole (a viciously good Vinessa Shaw). Matt has visions of a Black Hole fissuring from the ceiling whenever he is having sex with women which is very often-- poor guy. Matt confides in his brother, John (Adam Trese), a priest completing his probationary period. John is not the tower of strength and inspiration that Matt is looking for. Then by design, divine intervention, or sheer insanity, Matt chooses abstinence for 40 days and nights until Lent. And this is extreme-- no fondling and... no masturbation. No one believes Matt will last 40 days, much less a week. Among the faithless is Matt's roommate, Ryan (Paulo Costanzo), who betrays Matt confidence and tells his co-workers at Matt's Internet company. They start a pool on a website predicting Matt's demise. In the meantime, Matt pursues a relationship with a great girl, Erica (a beautiful Shannyn Sossamon), who he met at the local laundromat. Also by design it just happens that Erica has a history of dating weirdos, and she works for Cyber Nanny, a company that safeguards against porn-sites. Matt also finds out that Nicole is back from Europe and now engaged, and she will not let him forget this. What makes the movie special is that Matt really falls in love with Erica without sleeping with her, and that he remains abstinent, because he said so... This is refreshing. Josh Hartnett is great here. His Matt is a good-looking, charming guy who makes an insane choice and lives with it. Hartnett also comes across as empathetic, as a man thrust in an almost impossible situation where everyone is betting on his failure. He has a quiet strength about him, is very funny, and totally believable. Shannyn Sossamon is stunning-- you can see why Matt falls for her. And when she wonders if Matt is gay, this is hilarious. Sossamon's Erica is smart and compassionate with great humanity. Playing a woman wondering why the guy she is attracted to doesn't want to have sex with her is not an easy role... or natural.

The humor in "40 Days" is raw, though enjoy the ride. Afterall it is a romance, managed well by Lehman, Harnett, and Sossamon. And we don't mind being offended as long as it is done smartly with style, and that we are ultimately touched.

Amusing sex comedy

[Spanner-2 · 7/10 · 25 February 2002]

In this comedy, Josh Hartnett is so distraught over his breakup with his babe girlfriend (Vinessa Shaw) and her sudden engagement to someone else that he decides to take a vow not to have sex or anything connected with sex for 40 days! This being a movie, the vow winds up becoming an internet phenomenon as people start betting on when he will give in, a prospect that becomes more likely when he meets a cute girl (Shannyn Sossamon of "A Knight's Tale") at a laundrymat and starts dating her.. An entertaining comedy that milks it's one joke fairly well for most of the picture and is helped by the appealing nature of the leads Hartnett and Sossamon as well as some amusing supporting players. As light-weight sex comedies go, this one is fairly entertaining. GRADE: B

Bland comedy, but watchable

[emmet-2 · 18 June 2002]

I went to the movies with a friend, and this was the only film we could agree on. I had pretty low expectations to begin with, so I can't really say I was disappointed, but "40 Days..." didn't really leave any lasting impression on me. It's a bland film - it does create a few laughs - but all in all, it's a pretty forgettable affair.

The best thing this film has going for it, is the nice on-screen chemistry between the two leads. Both Josh Hartnett and newcomer Shannyn Sossamon do well with their characters - or at least as well as the juvenile script allows them. The funniest moments in the film were the condom scene at the beginning, dinner with the parents and the "examination" of Matt's sheets. It's also nice to see a Hollywood movie that doesn't drag on beyond the two hour point. "40 Days..." clocks in at a pleasant 94 minutes, which feels just about right.

All in all, it's a mildly enjoyable film, but nothing memorable. I'll rate it 3 out of 6 on my dice.

adult sex comedy - will mean different things each side of the Atlantic

[Chris_Docker · 6/10 · 17 June 2002]

For many women, giving up sex for 40 days isn't that big a deal, whereas for men with healthy libidos and plenty of offers it is a major psychological undertaking. That's the story behind this better than average adult comedy. Matt originally tries the idea for Lent in a last ditch attempt to get former `love-of-his-life', Nicole, out of his head after screwing everything in the trendy San Francisco dot.com world has failed to alleviate his emotional needs. Swearing off sex includes giving up sex, fondling, kissing and even masturbation. This means he actually starts communicating with women (one woman in particular) on another level than purely physical and falls in love again. Within this rather limited comic milieu, various ideas are played out fairly well women's use of sex to manipulate men features not only in the frantic attempts of his female colleagues (who, with the rest of the office, have placed bets on `how long he will last'), but also in the cynically exposed persona of Nicole. You have to give the film plenty of leeway in credibility terms the story has lots of far fetched aspects but so does lots of good comedy, and the love-it-or-hate-it script either completely justifies it for you or makes you wish you had such problems to faintly believe in them. If you were offended by `There's Something About Mary', don't go and see it. Of course, I've written this from a British point of view - Americans have had more exposure to the "abstinence" movement that we have thankfully been spared so far - they make get the jokes differently or take some meaning from the film that either isn't or shouldn't be there! (Apologies to discerning American filmgoers to whom this doesn't apply!)

Amazingly smart, witty and funny

[mattymatt4ever · 7/10 · 2 June 2003]

This is not your usual dull, hackneyed teen sex comedy. I actually found it to be amazingly sharp and witty. It's directed by Michael Lehmann, who also made the great teen satire "Heathers." The script is also well-written. Josh Hartnett is one of the best new young actors, and gives another fine performance. He doesn't play the scenes for laughs, but as a seriously conflicted man. So the comedy works out better with him playing it straight. Paolo Costanzo of "Road Trip" says a few hilarious lines and steals a few scenes as his free-spirited roommate. Naturally, you can't make a teen comedy without at least one veteran adult actor in the cast, and this time it's Griffin Dunne, who's an absolute hoot as Hartnett's boss. It's funny to watch him be just as obsessed with sex as his employees half his age.

The movie isn't perfect. Along with the witty sex gags there are some gratuitously predictable moments, like the dinner scene with Hartnett's parents, in which his father starts going on a tangent about the sexual positions he's still able to use with his broken hip. And the third act contains no surprises, as it resorts to the usual feel-good cliches.

As for the eye candy factor, both men and women should be satisfied. Men should enjoy the gratuitous shots of naked women, as well as the hot-looking Shannon Sossymon, Vinessa Shaw and Maggie Gyllenhaal. And needless to say, women should enjoy the sight of Josh Hartnett.

My score: 7 (out of 10)

Hated the semi ending

[mrtallman · 6/10 · 26 November 2019]

Wish the ending was better not the way it happen I still hated it

Fairly gimmicky but entertaining fluffball.

[punch87 · 6/10 · 10 October 2020]

They could have easily made yet another gross-out comedy, but instead the laughs are born of clever writing and likable characters.

A Fun Weekend Flick

[mattryan00 · 9/10 · 18 June 2006]

You know, I'm just as big of a pretentious d*ck as the next movie critic out there...I like the artsy, intelligent indie films, and I try to only give my patronage to good, smart, well-done movies.

Which brings me to 40 Days and 40 Nights...a sex flick targeted at the common man. But you know what? When it came on this past Sunday on Comedy Central, I just had to watch it through. I really think it's a great movie for what it is.

40 Days is a mildly intelligent, clever, creative movie with an intimidating number of hot women. See all these hot, scantily clad women actually reminds me a bit of my time at Arizona State.

This film is a very engaging way to spend an hour and a half. If you're not a self-repressed type who is freaked out by the topic of sex, you'll love it. I gave it a 9.

Almost a good movie

[Mr. Pulse · 6/10 · 12 March 2002]

A cute premise nearly done in by a weak dialogue and some weak characters, 40 Days and 40 Nights is nearly a good movie, but not quite. Thanks to the fine performance of star Josh Hartnett and some nice comedic bits, the movie plugs along on genial inertia for 100 minutes, dragging only occasionally, but leaving you not completely satisfied when it concludes.

Hartnett plays Matt Sullivan, a webpage designer for a dot-com company in an alternate universe version of San Francisco (Clearly another reality, since super-model types are the only females employed at computer companies, and still more supermodel types spend Friday nights doing their laundry). After a messy breakup sends him into the arms and beds of most of the female population of San Fran, Matt decides he is fed up with feeling like an empty void. To fight his libido, he swears of all sexual activities for lent. It's a good thing Matt's not Jewish; otherwise he would have had to give up sex for Yom Kippur; a scenario that would have created a much shorter (and significantly more dour) film.

Quickly, Matt's roommate (Paulo Costanzo) and his fellow employees catch wind of his scheme, and soon bets are made, and saboteurs begin to try to taint his quest. Yet another monkey wrench gets thrown into the celibacy machine when Matt meets Erica (Shannyn Sossamon), a dreamy, quirky cutie who just might be `the one,' not to be confused with the super-powered One played by Jet Li last year in the film of the same name.

Writer Rob Perez gets a lot of mileage using the ridiculously attractive cast as spoiling seductresses, and as the days tick away toward forty some genuine suspense is created from the will-he-won't-he tension. Hartnett makes a likeable protagonist, especially considering he's a guy who's unhappy because he gets way too many women (Just like in the real world…). As the gags get more sexual, Hartnett plays his role in appropriately hammy fashion; but the budding relationship with Erica slowly distracts and hurts the main plot; mostly because while the script calls for Erica to be sassy in the meet cute, her character quickly becomes a complaining downer; soon we're questioning why Matt's so hung up on such a frequently harsh woman. And the pseudo-sex scene involving flowers is far too sappy to belong in a movie that also sports a CGI dream sequence featuring a sea of female breasts.

40 Days only recovers from that cumbersome scene by the very end of Matt's journey, but by then most of the film's goofy energy is gone. And a climax that involves a reconciliation between characters we don't care too much about doesn't make for gripping entertainment. You leave liking the movie more than you enjoyed it; Matt deserves a movie (and a love interest) worthy of his and our imagination.

This is more than just crudeness.

[athrundus · 11 January 2003]

First of all, I would like to make the reader aware that the following commentary will reveal certain elements of the film's plot. If you would rather not have them revealed, then I would not recommend reading past this paragraph. However, if you watch the movie, I would urge you to think about the full implications of its various scenes.

I watched this film with two friends of mine, and despite the fact that we have fairly liberal views, all three of us (this includes both female and male) were rather appalled at what was shown, and found that there are some serious moral problems at hand. First and foremost, while some viewers might not realize it, Josh Hartnett's character is raped towards the end of this movie. His ex-girlfriend has sex with him, while he is tied to a bed, intoxicated, and only marginally aware of what is going on. In spite of this, the film does not seem to show the seriousness of the incident. The main character seems to be casual about what happened, albeit disappointed that his celibacy did not reach the 40 day mark; his current love interest, played by Shannyn Sossamon, chooses to be angry, instead of being supportive, and his ex-girlfriend revels in snide triumph. The rape of men by women does occur in real life; it is a horrific crime, as is any other form of rape, and this movie certainly doesn't help in making the society aware of its existence.

The film also paints an inaccurate and incomplete picture of human sexuality, since men are portrayed as sex fiends, who find it next to impossible to not be controlled by their desires, while women are depicted as manipulative whores. Shannyn Sossamon's aforementioned character is an exception, but she appears to be emotionally unstable, since she walks out whenever there is a problem, instead of making an attempt to communicate. When the main character ends up with her, this is treated as an "and they lived happily ever after" sort of ending, whereas realistically, what he probably has in store for him is another psychologically-damaging relationship.

The problem at hand is not in what happens in the film, but in the film's attitude towards what happens. I am not saying that a rape scene in a movie is always unacceptable. What I am saying, is that such a scene should be treated as a rape scene, and not as a casual sexual encounter. While I believe in artistic freedom, I also believe that film producers hold a level of responsibility for the sort of message that they carry across, and that is why I felt that something needed to be said. I would generally not recommend this movie, but to those who are planning on watching it - please be aware of what is going on.

Although I didn't take a liking to the ending, it was a decent movie

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 6/10 · 13 January 2005]

"40 days and 40 nights" is about a guy who vows that he will remain "untouched" for Lent. 40 days and 40 nights of him not touching a girl or himself to push the vow to go a little further. Seems easy, right? Oh, wait! I forgot, Josh Hartnett is the guy! That's what makes the movie so ridiculous. But you kind of get into it. It's kind of ironic, because Josh is a cutie that all the girls love, and you can't imagine a guy like him would make a vow like that. You'd think they would cast maybe a nerd or something. :P Just kidding. I thought the movie was actually pretty good. It has some very funny moments and sexy ones as well. I would recommend for the weekend if you have nothing better to do. I just didn't like the ending too well, but you have to judge for yourself.

6/10

Not a well thought through movie

[ComedyFan2010 · 3/10 · 28 November 2013]

After his girlfriend dumps him Matt goes through a lot of meaningless sex that makes him feel bad,so in order to give himself time to recover he decides to give up sex and anything to do with sex for Lent.

I liked the idea, but the movie ended up being a disappointment.

Josh Hartnett is pretty bad in this movie. I can't think of any other movies with him, but considering that I know his name he did a few, so he might be a good actor. But this movie really doesn't show it. I wonder if he even knew it was a comedy, because he sure didn't act as if he did.

Actually besides having a more or less original idea for a romantic comedy the movie didn't go too far from it. The joke was pretty much the same all through 90 minutes. And it was also stupid. It was the kind of sentiment I would expect for a teen movie, but the characters in this one were in their 20's, the whole "omg the poor guy can't live without sex" thing is just dumb. And this is what the whole movie was about, exaggerated and annoying.

Also, while I think sex themed comedies can be very funny. Only this one was trying to be romantic, and this is what made her sexual theme fail. Some of the jokes were off, and seemed more vulgar than funny for the genre. Actually the only time I laughed was at the Bagel Boy.

The story was not well thought through. It makes no sense whatsoever to me why Erica was mad at Matt about the whole abstinence thing. It's not like he decided not to have sex ever again in his life, or that it was a personal insult to her or that he was supposed to tell everything about himself on one date only. Silly. Same as the ending. I don't want to spoil, but what happened with Nicole was in no way funny. And it was also pretty unnecessary, one could have done it better without it.

Oooooh, what an end...

[xlars · 6/10 · 15 January 2004]

I cannot seem stop wondering how it is possible to take a great potential story and turn it into a movie that has such a terrible end. Can anyone? I just had a plain ol' good time watching this movie - and then the end let me down, and I left the movie, not satisfied.

A really hot comedy

[ShadySovereign · 7/10 · 20 August 2005]

"40 Days and 40 Nights" is the kind of comedy film that tries hard to be really good because of its hot sexuality, but ends up being pretty standard with some stand-out plus-points.

The good thing about the movie is that it appeals greatly to teenagers because of its many sexual references. There is a lot of female nudity to keep the male audience watching. The main star Josh Hartnett is good eye candy for the ladies. And finally, the sex scenes are very funny (they kept me giggling every time!).

The bad thing about the movie is that there are some parts that are slow, so slow that you will actually want to reach the end of the movie quickly. However, the nude scenes actually saved the film for me.

Overall, I'd say this is a pretty standard comedy except that it seems to bring a message to boys who want to abstain from sex for a while. But it would be more hugely appealing to both teen boys & girls because of its hot sexual style.

I give this movie a 7/10.

Awful movie further ruined by a terrible ending

[TheLittleSongbird · 1/10 · 22 August 2011]

The only good thing really I can say about 40 Days and 40 Nights is the soundtrack, especially the use of Recondita Armonia(from Tosca) performed the wonderful Jussi Bjorling. The rest though is a mess. The scenery is decent, but the editing could have been much tighter and the photography more fluid. Josh Hartnett and Shannon Sossaman are charming to look at, but they are rather awkward and never are believable together. It's not their fault though, they struggled with a flat predictable story, a bad smutty script, uneven pacing and especially shallow characters. What spoilt this movie the most was the ending, which is the most terrible and most insulting ending I've seen in a long time. In conclusion, an awful movie. 1/10 Bethany Cox

Fun and laughter

[downeyheather · 10/10 · 6 March 2002]

Admittedly not a previously big Josh Hartnett fan, but I went to watch this movie on a whim, and am glad I took the plunge. It was good to see Hartnett in a comedy role and think he faired very well. There was such a neat innocence in some of the lines he delivered, where they could have been really crass. Some of the sight gags were a little gross and some a bit disturbing, but on the whole I was pleasantly surprised, and the good stuff more than made up for it. The cast was great.. of which I recognised Hartnett, Sossomon and of course Griffin Dunne. However, I really wished more time was spent with Hartnetts co-workers. I would have loved to have seen their characters filled out more. I must admit I was taken with the actor, Chris Gauthier, that played Mikey (I actually stayed to the watch the end credits to take note of his name) and when the romance between the leads became a little long, really wanted to see Mikey and the co-workers back at the internet office. I would be interested in other works this actor has appeared in. More time spent with the actor who played Chris would have been good too, in fact all the internet guys. That aside, I am looking forward to the release of the dvd, and will be buying a copy as soon as its available.

another comedy for teens

[saeedchoganbaz · 6/10 · 1 April 2020]

American Pie. Road Trip. Not Another Teen Movie. Add 40 Days and 40 Nights to the list of Hollywood's most egregious sex comedies.

This Movie Is Nothing But A Big Piece Of Crap

[Darkest_Rose · 3/10 · 30 April 2003]

After Matt(Josh Hartnett) gets dumped by his girlfriend Nicole(Vinessa Shaw) he starts to have sex with every girl possible just to forget about her. But then during the 40 days of Lent, Matt vows to himself that he will not have sex for 40 days and 40 nights. But then of course he meets the girl of his dreams, named Erica(Shannyn Sossamon) and he starts having second thoughts about not having sex and betraying his vow. Of course you can guess the rest. This movie is predictable, dumb and just a big piece of crap. Nothing about this movie was funny or entertaining. The movie sends out wrong messages to it's audience and it's just a pain in the butt to sit through. There weren't even enough hot girls to save this movie from the big piece of crap it is. I would give 40 Days and 40 Nights 3/10

Has sex ever been less funny?

[Spleen · 21 January 2003]

I doubt it.

Someone who wants to have sex but is somehow thwarted; now THAT'S funny ... well, potentially funny. Someone who wants NOT to have sex but is somehow coerced into doing so; that's NOT funny.

-Actually, very frequently it IS funny, but under conditions that don't hold here. The man who simply wants to read a book or work on his woodcarving but has an insatiable spouse; that can be amusing. The man who for obscure "because it's in the script, that's why" reasons gives up sex for Lent … well, whatever. If the film wants to ignore this tepid premise and tell jokes about, say, badminton, that could work. But the sex that's been renounced is something we never hear the end of. It's like listening to someone say, "No thanks, I don't want any sugar in my coffee," six hundred and fifty times.

How long is this guy doing without, anyway? Forty days; a little over a month. Please. Most of us spend, give or take, the first five THOUSAND days of our lives without sex (and it's only so few if you accept the film's extended definition). How hard can it be?

Not a single player in the story has a brain, and the central character is in addition one of the wettest schmendricks ever to be pushed forward as a romantic lead.

Okay for late night channel surfers

[asticht · 6/10 · 26 April 2004]

I was surfing the channels the other night and ran across this movie just starting on one of the innumerable movie channels on my satellite lineup and decided to watch it. 40 days and 40 nights is funny, there are several places in the movie where it is hard not to laugh, not only with the goofy situations Josh Hartnett finds himself in, however, the running joke about he not being able to control his urges and impulses especially in light of the frequent attempts by his friends and colleagues to trip him up gets a little old and annoying. His reason for his chastity is something that leaves the audience wondering why doing it is going to help his romantic life, and it is frustrating learning how sex driven Hartnett's characters is along with many of the supporting cast members in the film. All in all, it was worth watching when there as nothing more enlightenening on the tube at midnight but reruns and infomercials, however, it would not have been a movie I would have been proud to have spent money to see, either by rental of by going to the theater to see it.

Terrible

[easmith03 · 3/10 · 29 December 2002]

I didn't find any redeeming qualities in this movie. I knew going in the movie was kind of based on the sophomoric premise that a sexually active young man was giving up sex for Lent. The movie also purports to be a comedy. So, almost all of the humor of the film revolves around Matt's (Josh Hartnett) attempt at celibacy, while apparently in his world every woman is young beautiful, and willing to have sex with him. So, you get lots of scenes of him gasping in frustration running away from women while putting ice down his pants. I found the humor witless, and below the standards of "Porky's" or typical teenage drive-in type movies.

Also, in this world were Matt lives, everyone knows about everyone else's sex lifes, they are freely discussed, and in Matt's case becomes the subject of world wide betting on the internet. While Matt seems to view this as an unfortunate turn of events, apparently he harbours no ill will towards his "friends" for publishing his plight. Or doesn't seem to be upset with them as they go out of their way to make him break is vow for Lent.

There is more to the "plot" of the movie, he meets a girl and falls in love but the movie screams the question "HOW CAN THEY BE IN LOVE IF THEY AREN'T HAVING SEX?" I'm not sure what the movie answered... it doesn't matter. The movie is absurd, the ending is meaningless.