User reviews

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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!)

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.

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)

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.

"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.

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

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.

Movies like this are made so you can have a fun night with friends! You will laugh with the stupid decisions they make!

Don't take anything to serious when you watch this movie and you will have a good time!

(Josh Hartnett is a great actor! ) I recommend everyone to watch 30 days of night! One of the best vampire movies with Josh Hartnett!