40 días y 40 noches

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.

This movie is pretty good. The acting is good the plot is interesting and fairly believable. I'm surprised that it managed to get an 'R' rating as there are quite a few things that push the envelope toward an 'X' rating. Josh Hartnett is wonderful as is the entire supporting cast. The sense of anticipation and heightened sexual tension/frustration is communicated extremely well while Matt (Josh Hartnett) embarks on his 40-day celibacy during Lent. However. In a movie that is intended to be a dot-com, light-hearted romp I was surprised to see a casual treatment of male rape. There is no question that in one scene a man is incapacitated and forced to have sex against his will. I found this extremely disturbing and it turned the entire movie around making it extremely unpalatable rather than risque. I would invite you to see this movie and decide for yourself. But strap on a seat belt...the content is extremely sexual.

40 Days and 40 Nights could have been written into something interesting. In fact I'm sure it started out interesting, then a series of re-writes probably ruined it. The film cannot decide if it's a sex farce, a date movie, or some kind of statement about morality. The cast seems generally appealing, and the idea of such a promiscuous young man suddenly abstaining from sex sets up some interesting possibilities. Ultimitely, it just goes down as another failed date movie.

Josh Hartnett plays a young man who has just broken up with the girl of his dreams. He then becomes wildly promiscuous; sleeping around with anyone who will talk to him. After some time, his conscience begins to get the better of him, and he swears off sex for Lent. Yep, that means he cannot even masturbate or so much as kiss a girl for the time frame mentioned in the title. That seems like an interesting starting point for a film, but scene after scene never generates the results we the audience are after.

Of course, Hartnett meets another wonderful young lady at the laundry mat. They obviously fall for each other instantly, but their relationship is nothing more than a ploy to see how much the young man can be tempted to break his vow. Of course the script doesn't give him the courage to be honest about why he can't sleep with his new girlfriend. This is only meant to cause tension between the two of them, and frankly it does nothing more than delay what we know will eventually happen.

Scene after scene reminds you that this is only a movie, and in no way do people behave normally or do things happen rationally. First of all, would it make any sense for a guy looking to avoid sex to hang around with a babe like Shannyn Sossamon? I think not. How about their first date? The two of them just ride around San Francisco on a public bus and make warm faces at one another while "Chemistry" by Semisonic chimes away on the soundtrack. Can we say "date movie"? How about the office where Hartnett works? All the girls are hot of course, further tempting our young man. All the guys dress like GAP models, and none of them talk about sports at all! Sure we guys talk about sex at work, but we always at least talk a little about sports, too. In another scene, Hartnett actually gives Sossamon an orgasm using only the petals of a flower. (He can't touch her, if you recall!) To meet a woman like that.... if only! On a more serious note, practicing Catholics will definitely be offended by one scene in particular. In it, Hartnett walks in on his brother who is a priest in training and catches him making out with a nun. If this were an intelligent film, you might make the case that the film is only lobbying for priests to be able to have relations with women; perhaps to help alleviate some of the child abuse scandals. Trust me though, this film is not that intelligent. The scene was included only for schlock value.

Overall, it was an interesting idea, but there were just too many ridiculous scenes to make it watchable. The film comes off as being more than a little wrong headed in a couple ways. First of all, nobody is really as sex-obsessed as the people in this film. And second of all, going without sex for 40 days and nights is disappointing, but not the end of the world. Having sex with a condom..... now there's torture!!!! 5 of 10 stars.

The Hound.

Six months of hot women can't get emotionally blocked San Francisco stud Josh Hartnett (as Matt Sullivan) to forget sexy ex-girlfriend Vinessa Shaw (as Nicole); so, he decides to give up sex for "40 Days and 40 Nights" (aka "Lent", the time period before Easter). It's a lot harder than it sounds, because Mr. Harnett vows to give up ALL forms of sexual activity, including masturbation. Promiscuous roommate Paulo Costanzo (as Ryan) is around to help; he examines Hartnett's sheets for fluids, and lets everyone on the Internet know about his pal's pledge. Presumably, Mr. Costanzo orders Hartnett to shower with the door open.

Things get very sticky (or, not) when women try to arouse Hartnett's interest. To complicate matters, he meets sexy Shannyn Sossamon (as Erica) at the Laundromat. Still, Hartnett perseveres. He gets Christian help, in the confessional, from priestly brother Adam Trese (as John); Mr. Trese is, secretly, struggling with the same vow. Of course, the real story is the discovery, by Hartnett, of "true love" (instead of just sex).

Other than a confusing, dream sequence climax; it's all fairly predictable. Director Michael Lehmann and team succeed in making the premise unrealistic, even for a silly movie. Sossamon and Costanzo are very likable with Hartnett. There are a few laughs. One cool scene features more topless women than "Electric Ladyland".

***** 40 Days and 40 Nights (3/1/02) Michael Lehmann ~ Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossamon, Paulo Costanzo, Adam Trese

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.