40 jours et 40 nuits

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.

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.

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.

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

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.