40 Days and 40 Nights

40 Days and 40 Nights is a 2002 satirical erotic romantic comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann, written by Rob Perez, and starring Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossamon and Paulo Costanzo. The film depicts Matt Sullivan, a San Francisco web designer who has chosen to abstain from any sexual contact for the duration of Lent.

This article is about Michael Lehmann's 2002 film. For Jesus' ordeal in the wilderness, see Temptation of Christ. For the 2007 Matthew Chapman book, see 40 Days and 40 Nights (book).
40 Days and 40 Nights
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMichael Lehmann
Produced byTim Bevan
Eric Fellner
Michael London
Written byRobert Perez
Starring
Music byRolfe Kent
CinematographyElliot Davis
Edited byNicholas C. Smith
Production
company
Distributed byMiramax Films (United States)
Universal Pictures (International)
Alliance Atlantis (Canada)
Release date
  • March 1, 2002 (2002-03-01)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
United Kingdom
France
LanguageEnglish
Budget$17 million[1]
Box office$95.1 million[1]

Plot

Matt Sullivan (Josh Hartnett) and his roommate, Ryan (Paulo Costanzo), are co-workers at a San Francisco dot-com company. Matt is obsessed with his ex-girlfriend, Nicole (Vinessa Shaw), and his obsession repeatedly causes him problems during attempted one-night stands. He has trouble moving on, since Nicole broke up with him. He confides his sexual problems to his brother, John (Adam Trese), who is training to become a Catholic priest. In an attempt to fix his problems, Matt vows to abstain from sexual stimulation, including masturbation, for the 40 days and 40 nights of Lent. John warns Matt that chastity is not easy; meanwhile, Ryan starts a popular office pool to bet on how long Matt can last.

Matt meets Erica (Shannyn Sossamon), a cyber nanny, at a neighborhood laundromat and they begin to date. They face many challenges in their relationship, including her discovery of his celibacy vow and Matt's continuing feelings for Nicole. Matt's co-workers make many unsuccessful attempts to persuade him to have sex in order to win the pool, and as the days pass Matt's obsession with sex grows. At one point he angrily grabs a pornographic magazine from an office desk after persuasion from Ryan, and begins to march towards a toilet stall in order to masturbate as co-workers try to stop him and convince him to maintain his pledge. He makes it to the bathroom and is seated on the toilet cover, where he starts to undo his pants. He is unsuccessful, as his boss is in the next stall masturbating incessantly, as he drank a Viagra-spiked drink that was meant for Matt by Ryan. Matt then escapes through the window to meet with Erica and spend a night of intimacy without any actual intercourse.

Despite the range of increasingly powerful cultural incentives to sex and orgasm surrounding Matt—scantily dressed women, billboards, et cetera—Matt's commitment holds, and begins to frustrate a lot of the people around him who had fully expected him to break it long before he could get close to his goal. In the meantime, Erica and Matt are falling in love, and they plan a special encounter for the 40th night to celebrate his successfully completing his vow. On the 40th day, a newly single Nicole learns of the betting pool, makes a large bet and then rapes Matt while he is asleep.

Erica subsequently believes Matt dishonored his vow and was unfaithful to her, but Matt wins Erica back by reminding her of the special moments they shared during their relationship. The two reconcile in Matt's bedroom for many hours, with his co-workers making a new betting pool on the duration of their stamina. Upon seeing this, he kicks them out of his apartment and shuts the door.

Cast

Production

Filming

40 Days and 40 Nights was filmed on location at Potrero Hill, San Francisco, California.

Release

Critical response

The film received mixed reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 38% based on reviews from 134 critics. The site's consensus states: "As romantic comedies go, 40 Days and 40 Nights is smutty, sexist, and puerile."[2] Metacritic gives the film a score of 53, based on reviews from 33 critics.[3]

Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 out of 4 stars. He praised director Michael Lehmann for raising the film above the level of sexual sitcom, through his sympathy for his characters and use of humor to examine human nature. He also credited writer Rob Perez for dialogue about sex with "more complexity and nuance than we expect". The rape scene near the end of the film has been criticized by many reviewers. Roger Ebert was not explicit in his description, but stated "Nicole's entire participation is offensive and unnecessary... there was a sweeter and funnier way to resolve everything."[4]

Box office

The film earned a worldwide total of over $95 million.[1]

Accolades

In 2005 Empire magazine included the film on its list of "Worst Sex Scenes".[5]

References
  1. "40 Days and 40 Nights (2002)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  2. "40 Days and 40 Nights". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved November 14, 2009.
  3. "40 Days and 40 Nights". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
  4. "40 Days and 40 Nights Review". Chicago Sun-Times. March 1, 2002.
  5. "Showgirls clinches worst movie sex scene award". TheRegister.co.uk. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
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