40 Days and 40 Nights (2002)

Director:

Michael Lehmann

Writer (WGA):

Rob Perez (written by)

Release Date:

1 March 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Drama

Tagline:

One man is about to do the unthinkable. No sex. Whatsoever. For... 40 Days and 40 Nights

Plot:

After a brutal breakup, a young man vows to stay celibate during the 40 days of Lent, but finds the girl of his dreams and is unable to do anything about it.

Plot Keywords:

Lent | Sex | Masturbation | Dream | Love

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Josh Hartnett	...	Matt Sullivan
Shannyn Sossamon	...	Erica Sutton
Paulo Costanzo	...	Ryan
Adam Trese	...	John Sullivan
Emmanuelle Vaugier	...	Susie
Lorin Heath	...	Diana
Aaron Trainor	...	Kellner
Glenn Fitzgerald	...	Chris
Monet Mazur	...	Candy
Christine Chatelain	...	Andie
Keegan Connor Tracy	...	Mandy
Michael C. Maronna	...	Bagel Boy (as Michael Maronna)
Vinessa Shaw	...	Nicole
Stefanie von Pfetten	...	Girl in Chinatown
Stanley Anderson	...	Father Maher

Also Known As:

40 jours et 40 nuits (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity and language.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA | UK | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #38351) | France:U | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (cut) | Philippines:R-18 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating on appeal) | Canada:18A (Alberta) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:12 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

Ashton Kutcher and Katie Holmes were originally set to play the roles of Matt and Erica. They both dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.

Goofs:

Continuity: The fire on Matt's arm gets extinguished twice.

Quotes:

Duncan: She said I looked like Lionel Ritchie.
Neil: Well that's great!
Duncan: No it's not.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Miss March/Race to Witch Mountain/Sunshine Cleaning (#1.3)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Big Blue Sea

Holding out for the One...

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.