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Not as funny as advertised.

I finally got around to watching this, and I have to say that I was very disappointed. I understand that it's a comedy but I'm sorry, it just wasn't that funny. Perhaps it's the weak plot behind it all, but I tend to think of this film as something somebody wrote on a napkin at lunch one day at Denny's.

I've had friends who bet on everything too, but when they start a website based on my personal life ..... I'm sorry but they're in for a serious awakening as to the harsh world of reality. I'm still not sure why I'm giving this film 2 stars instead of 1.

Major surprise

I was not expecting much when my girlfriend and I went to see this but i am glad we did. i thought it was going to be a chick flick but it was a slapstick comedy like the american pie movies. Josh Hartnett did well in the lead and the movie is just plane hilarious from the beginning to the end.

Ignore the professional reviewers/critics

I've found the greater amount of movies disappoint me, but Josh Hartnett has proven himself to be one of the rare actors of Hollywood, who takes risks and can laugh at himself. This movie was upbeat, snappy writing, although not as hyperactive as "The Gilmore Girls" and moved at a great pace, not too slow, not too fast. I laughed out loud often, along with the rest of the audience.
The theme exposes how young, hip, single men look at thier own sexual needs as opposed to how we woman view sex. A handsome hunk who apparently has no problems attracting woman, Josh's character is carrying around self-imposed sexual performance baggage after being dumped by a longtime girlfriend. His humorous, Catholic roots influence his choice to vow to 40 days of total sexual abstinance for Lent, in an attempt to once again attain control over his "issues".
I thought Hartnett and his co-stars did a terrific job of portraying the real but laughable status of men's basic sexual

needs/desires. This plot plays on the recent study that revealed how men think about sex every few moments. Yes, LOTS of guys watch porn, read Playboy and gratify themselves. This is no secret, and certainly easier to hear mention of than the perversions portrayed in so many other movies.
Unknown to him at first, Hartnett's co-workers and friends take the abstinance ball and run with it as a sub plot, while we watch Josh start to suffer. Throw in a tempting and available new love interest to test his will and the sexual tension heats up.
I found this movie far less offensive than most of the regularly available crud on prime time TV and more tame than you might expect, in terms of sexuality, language etc. Each character was developed enough to make the viewer believe them.
I suppose you could call this a guy movie, but any of us women who have lived with a man, will recognize the dilemma and actions of the main character and his cohorts.

Surprisingly good.

I was fairly dubious when a friend of mine asked me to go and see '40 days and 40 nights' with her. I figured she was there for Josh and the film would essentially be a vessel to appeal to the teenage-girl market. However the film pleasantly surprised me; it was witty, not overly gross and Josh Hartnett possessed comic poise.

The film's premise is really quite simple, Matt (Hartnett), a man whose been living a fairly vacuous life filled with romantic disappointment and meaningless sex decides the only way to get over his ex Nicole is to become celibate for a period of 40 days, coinciding with lent. However this proves to be very difficult as Matt falls for Erica (Shannon Sossamon) at the Laundromat. Compounded with this is every woman trying to break his vow, and every man betting on the day he'll break his celibacy.

What makes the film so funny is the series of ridiculous situations Matt finds himself in. Whilst this film is essentially one 90 minute long sex joke, it really does work. Unlike other teenpics ('American Pie', 'Road Trip') '40 days and 40 nights' has a slightly more classy approach to sex. Shock value is used at a bare minimum, and when it is it's pretty much unneeded. It is only these few moments that makes the film fall into cliched realms at times, but it is otherwise good.

Josh Hartnett is truly funny in this film. His embodiment of the slow demise of a man who is kept from sex is very funny. It was a gamble to do comedy for a man who is known for two epic war films ('Pearl Harbor', and 'Black Hawk Down'). Everyone must agree that the movement from war films to comedy is like mixing oil and water; but it works seamlessly. Other than Josh the supporting cast are all very funny, the betting scenes in particular are hilarious.

'40 days and 40 nights' is a very welcome and impressive film. Slightly more intelligent that the standard teenpic, but not intelligent enough to stop it being escapist, essentially low brow comedy. This is not only a base teenpic comedy, but also a romantic comedy. For a teenage audience the girls will love it for Josh, and the guys will love it for the girls who tempt him; and if you don't like films purely for face value '40 days and 40 nights' is a proficient comedy.

A fun, clever comedy gem

A guy's romantic comedy, Michael Lehmann, Rob Perez and Josh Hartnett team up to create a sweet, funny and, yes, even romantic movie about doing without.Perez's allegedly in-some-way-autobiographical script gives 40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS a heart and soul (wonderfully realized by Hartnett's performance) that you wouldn't expect from a film with this many masturbation jokes.Women may not understand it -- my female moviegoing friend didn't buy how hard it would be for a man to go without any kind of sexual release for over a month -- but every guy out there will sympathize with some aspect of Matt's dilemma.Shannyn Sossamon is real, smart and cute, and Lehmann's stacked the cast with great character actors (Griffin Dunne, Jarrad Paul, and even Glenn Fitzgerald [fresh off a 180-degree turn as a neo-Nazi in THE BELIEVER]).40 DAYS is the perfect companion to Lehmann's other little romantic comedy gem, THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS AND DOGS.

if the tables were turned......

I find it very telling in this feminist society, that a rape scene involving female-on-male rape, is included in what is called a "comedy"!

If the tables were turned and it was a male-on-female rape, no one would dare call it a "comedy".

40 Day and 40 Nights

First of all, it takes a turn from where I thought the movie would originally go and is actually pretty tasteful. There are some moments in the movie with nudity, though they are neccesary. I think the movie cleverly shows that it can be possible for a man to abstain if he really wishes to - and sometimes it might even seem painful.

If you like Josh Hartnett or enjoy comedies with a lot of sex jokes in it, this movie is definetely for you!

honest movie

Very few movies anymore can hold my attention longer than 30 minutes, but this one kept me intrigued the entire time. The acting was good, the writing was good, which made the kind-of-hokey-storyline presentable. I rate my movies in terms of DVD buy, and I'll be in the store for this one.

Adorable and fun

This is a film about a young man who is challenged to have no sex for 40 days and 40 nights.I think "40 Days and 40 Nights" is a refreshing change from the usual teenage sex comedy. Obviously there is still plenty of sex or provocative scenes, but the way these are presented is refreshingly different. Josh Hartnett is adorable, and he is so convincingly sex starved! The final scene featuring a washing machine is hilarious. It is such a good metaphor that I still remember it after years! "30 Days and 30 Nights" is superficial, hedonistic, and probably something you would not want to watch with your kids or parents. but serves the purpose of being entertaining.

Good Movie

This movie is definitely worth a watch. The premise and the execution can be corny at times, but the lessons that get through are very interesting and heartfelt. Also, the realism of the movie makes sure that this isn't just a hilarious romp through the idea of sex withdrawal, but actually deals with relationships and problems therein. Overall, the movie definitely hits the intended mark, as long as you can stomach all of the innuendo and sexuality in the piece.

Sorry I wasted my time on this...

Aside from some nice acting from Josh Hartnett and Shannyn Sossamon (a stunning beauty who happens to also be a good actress), this movie (I rented the video) was a total waste. The premise is incredibly stupid. The motivation is ridiculous. The entire story is hard to believe. The bit about the main character's brother being a "Catholic priest in training" is completely out of left field. I have already wasted more time writing this than the film merits.

Unimaginative waste of time

This movie was not written well at all. There are abundant ways the writer wrote things that are stupid, at least in my opinion.Yes, the women are pretty. However anyone that says this deserves a rating anywhere close to an X is either quite innocent about such things or is being intentionally misleading. Yes nearly the entire movie is about sex, but the nudity lasts a total of about ten seconds for the entire movie (unless I saw an edited version, which I doubt).

This is more than just crudeness.

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.

"Days" Is Fun

"40 Days and 40 Nights" is a crude, vulgar, at times I guess it can be described as an offensive movie. In other words it's a guy's movie lol. There's something inside me saying, it's wrong for me to like this movie. This is not a "great" movie. I know I've seen much better movies. I consider myself a filmbuff and have seen several American classics and well as several foreign films. But, still, for some reason, despite myself, I like this movie. Then again I always seem to go for movies like this. I like the "American Pie" films. I liked the first "Scary Movie". So there is a side of me that enjoys vulgar humor.
"40 Days and 40 Nights" as most people know is about a guy named Matt Sullivan (Josh Hartnett) taking a vow of celibacy for the lenght the title says. He does this because as a friend tells him "(He's) packed with issues!" He can't seem to get over his girfriend. Every other person he is with he compares to his ex, Nicole (Vinesse Shaw). But, the odd thing is, his way of trying to deal with this problem is by sleeping with them. So, he decides if he can get his mind off sex all of his problems will go away and he'll forget about his ex. But, he meets a girl, Erica (Shannyn Sossamon). Who just further tempts him and makes things worst for him.
One of the reasons I like "40 Days and 40 Nights" is that it seems to have something to say about teen dating and the importance people (of any age) have placed on sex. The film shows how that seems to be the main thing on both guys and girls mind's. There was a line in the movie that Erica gives "God!Why won't he just sleep with me!" That one line is a key line to the film. Teens and other people sometimes refer to sex as merely a casual act. Something you wouldn't even give a second thought too. I could if I want go into a whole moral issues here like, you know there was a time when people actually waited to become intimate after they were married, but, I won't. This is a modern world, with a new set of standards, no matter how bad they may be. But, one of the problems with the film is, after it lightly touches these ideas it stops!
Is this a movie everyone will enjoy? No. This is purely a "teen movie" If adults saw this they would just think to themselves "Is this the way MY kids are!? That's it, they're not going out for a whole year!" But, teens will like it, and who knows, if a couple goes to see this, it may even open a door to discuss what each of them thinks about sex. And plus girls will just like staring at Hartnett, so it no lost for them either.
Bottom-line: A good funny "teen movie" that actually does have something to say. I think both guys and girls will enjoy this one.

Is There A Difference Between a Romantic Comedy And A Sex Comedy ?

Matt Sullivan has just suffered a break up from the love of his life so has decided to give up sex for lent . Unfortunately he then meets the real love of his life called Erica . When I say " Unfortunately " I meant unfortunately for Matt and his vow of celibacy . Unfortunately for me I decided to watch this film because there was nothing else on .I was under the impression that 40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS was going to be a romantic comedy , something fairly gentle and forgettable but not totally unwatchable but alas it's a sex comedy and there is a difference . With this type of movie it tries to be gross and juvenile and for the first half it succeeds ( Not my type of movie ) but strangely for the second half it does try to be somewhat romantic which means for the lads who might have enjoyed the crass humour earlier in the movie have to watch a relationship movie and I guess all the girlies who watched because the of touted pretty boy lead must have been put off with the gross humour at the start so as is often the case when you make a movie trying to appeal to both males and females you end up - Like a poor bisexual lover - satisfying neither camp Josh Hartnett ? He starred in PEARL HARBOR which through no fault of his own was one of the biggest piles of horse manure that Hollywood produced in years , yeah he was fairly impressive in BLACK HAWK DOWN but the real star of BHD was Ridley Scott's technical achievements . With a movie like 40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS the whole film rests on the leads shoulders and it's fairly clear that Hartnett can't carry a movie on his performance alone . I shouldn't condemn him too much since the script is very poor and does raise some idiotic questions like if Matt is a devout catholic then we does he have sex outside of marriage and use a condom ?

So preposterous, I couldn't finish watching it.

An utterly atrocious film. Not only is the premise completely ludicrous, but the (literal) climax of the movie depicts the protagonist being raped -- raped! -- by his spiteful ex-girlfriend, who is awarded a sizable cash prize for her crime. The protagonist is then harangued by his volatile love interest for "cheating" and forced to apologize! And all of this is somehow supposed to be funny. What. The. Hell?! If the roles had been reversed -- if the rape and humiliation of a female protagonist had been portrayed as a comical misunderstanding -- 40 Days & 40 Nights would have been barred from theaters for trivializing sex crimes and poking fun at their victims. How can anyone find this kind of sexual double-standard acceptable, let alone entertaining?

For the most part, fails.

All in all, this movie just doesn't work. I think in trying to avoid the typical canned, Hollywood formula romantic comedy, 40D&40N's goes too far to the left. Were this a movie to be taken seriously by any stretch, it could have been mildly offensive. Modern day twenty-somethings - both genders, mind you - are portrayed as people for whom sex symbolizes the goal in life and foundation of a relationship, and these people can't fathom that there is something else to human interaction. Even the young woman who cries, "...you don't want me" sexually? Pathetic. Just about every aspect of the film was below average. A few of the gags were humorous, but certainly not worth the price tag of even a rental.

Hilarious with some great performances

This movie really made me laugh. The idea was good to make a movie like this. It genuinely makes you laugh. Josh HArtnett is really a good actor and shannon sossamon is a real talented actress. I would recommend this movie to everyone. My rating - 9/10

This movie is terrible.

Unless you're 15 years old, you'll think this movie is terrible. It is. Totally.
You might ask yourself "why is Beth going to go ahead and give it 2 stars if its so terrible?" I'll tell you why. Shannon Whatsername is hot, and almost makes watching this movie bearable. Watch ten minutes, pleasure yourself, and then return to your day.

Not too bad

When I rented this movie I expected a childish excuse for massive quantity of T&A with some humorous points within. What I found was a little different. Sure it isn't the most perfect movie ever put together but the story does take an interesting angle with the concept. The fact that his coworkers and friends make a mokery of the situation is downright hilarious. It is indicative of the massive lashing out he should expect from every man in the world. Why the hell would he do this to himself. The panic attack angle was a bit much but outside of the stupidity of the "vow" you actually have embedded a decent enough love story with a women who is good looking without being so over the top "bimbo" that you can understand the drive to keep her in his life.All around not a bad movie, some slow spots but others are down right hilarious. Go in expecting nothing, and get a decent way to relax and be entertained for 90 minutes.