40 Days and 40 Nights

40 Days and 40 Nights

Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	2002
Key people	Michael Lehmann (director), Rob Perez (writer), Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossamon, Paulo Costanzo (actors)
Products	Romantic comedy fantasy film

40 Days and 40 Nights is a 2002 romantic comedy fantasy surrealist movie directed by Michael Lehmann, scripted by Rob Perez, featuring performances by Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossamon, and Paulo Costanzo. The story centers on Matt Sullivan, a web designer based in San Francisco, who commits to refraining from any sexual activity throughout the period of Lent.

Plot

Matt Sullivan shares an apartment in San Francisco with his roommate Ryan and works at an internet start-up. Struggling with sexual dysfunction after his breakup with Nicole, Matt confides in his brother John, who is training to become a Catholic priest. Following an unsuccessful attempt to fake sexual satisfaction during a date, Matt discovers that Nicole is engaged. This revelation prompts him to pledge complete sexual abstinence, including avoiding masturbation, for the entirety of Lent’s 40 days.

On the first day of his vow, Matt clears his living space of all potential temptations. He encounters Erica at a laundromat; she is employed as a cyber nanny tasked with blocking online pornography. Despite maintaining his commitment, they develop an emotional bond and share a bus ride date, though Matt refrains from kissing her. Meanwhile, Ryan and their colleagues initiate an online betting pool predicting how long Matt will uphold his vow.

Erica learns about the betting pool and feels upset. In support of Matt’s challenge, his employer also takes the vow. During another outing where they run into Nicole and her fiancé, Erica becomes frustrated by Matt’s lingering feelings for Nicole and decides to leave. As Matt faces ongoing obstacles at work, he turns to his brother for guidance but finds no comfort.

By the 35th day, the betting pool has amassed $18,000. A coworker encourages Matt to break his vow, but he catches his boss—who mistakenly consumed a Viagra-laced drink intended for him—masturbating in the adjacent bathroom stall. Embarrassed, Matt retreats to Erica; they reconcile and spend an intimate night together without engaging in intercourse.

On Day 38, Matt is sent home after experiencing an involuntary erection at work. Nicole arrives having left her fiancé but is rejected by Matt, which only intensifies her interest. She contributes $3,500 to the betting pool and discovers Matt’s plans to celebrate with Erica once his vow concludes.

On the final day, overwhelmed by temptation, Matt awakens to find that Nicole has sexually assaulted him while he was asleep just before midnight. When Erica arrives and mistakenly believes Matt has been unfaithful, she leaves. Determined to regain her trust, Matt presents Erica with a box containing their shared mementos; they reunite at the laundromat and finally share a kiss. They consummate their relationship as their coworkers place new bets on how long Matt can maintain their privacy before being forced out.

Cast

• Josh Hartnett as Matt Sullivan
• Shannyn Sossamon as Erica Sutton
• Paulo Costanzo as Ryan
• Maggie Gyllenhaal as Sam
• Vinessa Shaw as Nicole
• Adam Trese as John Sullivan
• Griffin Dunne as Jerry Anderson
• Keegan Connor Tracy as Mandy
• Emmanuelle Vaugier as Susie
• Monet Mazur as Candy
• Christine Chatelain as Andie
• Mike Maronna as Bagel Boy
• Stanley Anderson as Father Maher
• Lorin Heath as Diana
• Glenn Fitzgerald as Chris
• Jarrad Paul as Duncan
• Terry Chen as Neil
• Kai Lennox as Nick
• Chris Gauthier as Mikey
• Barry Newman as Walter Sullivan
• Mary Gross as Beverly Sullivan
• Dylan Neal as David Brokaw

Production

Rob Perez initially presented the film concept to multiple studios before successfully securing a production agreement. Within a few months of delivering the initial script draft, the project received approval, and principal photography commenced thirteen months afterward. The film was released approximately eighteen months following the start of filming. In a 2009 reflection, Perez noted that the movie's creation was influenced less by the screenplay itself and more by a combination of circumstances: fresh studio financing, recent box office hits, a growing market appetite for youth-oriented comedies, access to commercially viable actors, executive support for the idea, and the determined efforts of producers.

The majority of shooting occurred in Vancouver, with several scenes captured on location in San Francisco neighborhoods such as Potrero Hill.

Critical response

The film holds a 40% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 135 reviews, with an average score of 4.90 out of 10. The critical consensus characterizes it as "smutty, sexist, and puerile." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 53% from 33 critiques. Audience feedback collected by CinemaScore resulted in a grade of B.

Roger Ebert from the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film three stars out of four, commending director Michael Lehmann for lifting it beyond conventional sexual comedy through wit and empathetic character portrayals. He acknowledged writer Rob Perez's skillful handling of sexual dialogue but found fault with the film’s conclusion for including unnecessary elements.

Todd McCarthy of Variety referred to it as "a self-proclaimed abstinence comedy that is amusing, sexy, and silly," while suggesting that a more profound exploration of its themes might have elevated it beyond a disposable farce.

Peter Travers described the movie as "a one-joke sex farce," expressing disappointment that director Lehmann departed from his earlier acclaimed works to focus on a weak premise.

Box office

The film debuted with an opening weekend gross of $12,229,529 and accumulated $37,939,782 domestically. Internationally, it earned $57,152,885, bringing its global total to $95,146,283.

Accolades

In 2005, Empire magazine included this film in its list of "Worst Sex Scenes."