40 Days and 40 Nights
3/4
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossamon, Paolo Costanzo, Adam Trese, Glenn Fitzgerald, Vinessa Shaw
Rated R for Strong Sexual Content, Nudity and Language
"40 Days and 40 Nights" is a good romantic comedy where the lead character does something totally crazy and learns a few lessons about life and himself. Admittedly, that's not a ringing endorsement for a raunchy sex comedy, but rest assured that this movie is both raunchy, sweet and occasionally hilarious. Not everything works (the ending in particular), but all in all it's a fun way to spend 90 minutes.
Six months ago, Matt (Hartnett) got dumped by his girlfriend Nicole (Shaw). Devastated, Matt tries to fill the void with meaningless sex, but that only makes him feel worse. Shortly after talking to his brother John (Trese), a priest-in-training, he gets an idea: no sexual activity of any kind for Lent. Sex, kissing, masturbation...they're all off the table for forty days and forty nights. Naturally, a task this outrageous doesn't stay secret for long, and soon everyone is making bets on when he will fail. Many are actively encouraging it, like his co-worker who shamelessly flirts with him before giving him her number on a Xerox of her butt. A far greater impediment to his plan is the Erica (Sossamon), the funky girl at the laundromat he falls for (on day one).
This movie is a rare breed: a smart romantic comedy. It can be seen on a few levels. One is obviously a sex comedy, and it fulfills that niche. It has plenty of sex jokes, nudity and lowbrow humor. It can also be viewed on a more philosophical level. Like, is there a difference between physical and emotional attraction, and can looking for the former alone be harmful to a person's mind and body? And does Matt actually learn his lesson by giving up sex? Few of these questions are explored in detail, but they are there.
Josh Hartnett was one of the hottest studs in the movies around the turn of the millennium, and it's easy to lump him with the flash-in-the-pan hunks like Robert Pattinson or Taylor Lautner. While Hartnett's good looks certainly help him, he has plenty of talent to back him up. Hartnett is a charmer in a role that could have been a one-note doofus who exists to be the butt of a joke. Matt has set a difficult task for himself, but he is desperately trying to make it work. He's impossible not to like. Shannyn Sossamon, an underrated actress if there ever was one, is good as the earthy Erica. She's quirky enough to be engaging, but far more real than your typical Zooey Deschanel type. Paolo Costanzo is in fine form as Matt's incredulous roommate Ryan. The only one who doesn't work is Vinessa Shaw, who is far too bitchy to be credible. Any sane person would have run away from this witch within two minutes of meeting her. That may be the point, though.
A decent comedy runs around 90 minutes, and this one follows suit. But I think this movie could have been used a bit more time to breathe. In particular, the relationship between Matt and Erica. After the meet cute and a magical first date, Erica is mainly on screen to pout when Matt screws up (although there is a scene involving flowers that must be seen to be believed). The two actors have a lot of chemistry, and the film would have paid off more had they had more romantic scenes together.
Not everything the movie does works. Griffin Dunne is meant to be comic relief as Matt's sex-starved boss, but he's boring. Glenn Fitzgerald is miscast as Chris, Matt's co-worker who runs the bet. He's meant to be slimy, but the actor is just too creepy. Think a less psychotic version of Jake Gallo from "Pathology." There's also a fantasy sequence towards the end that doesn't work. The low point is the climax (no pun intended), which is more unpleasant the more one thinks about it. I won't give it away, but let's just say that in the real world, it would have serious legal and psychological ramifications for the characters involved. There had to have been a better way to conclude things.
Still, the movie is charming and has some big laughs. Pity the ending misfired.
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossamon, Paolo Costanzo, Adam Trese, Glenn Fitzgerald, Vinessa Shaw
Rated R for Strong Sexual Content, Nudity and Language
"40 Days and 40 Nights" is a good romantic comedy where the lead character does something totally crazy and learns a few lessons about life and himself. Admittedly, that's not a ringing endorsement for a raunchy sex comedy, but rest assured that this movie is both raunchy, sweet and occasionally hilarious. Not everything works (the ending in particular), but all in all it's a fun way to spend 90 minutes.
Six months ago, Matt (Hartnett) got dumped by his girlfriend Nicole (Shaw). Devastated, Matt tries to fill the void with meaningless sex, but that only makes him feel worse. Shortly after talking to his brother John (Trese), a priest-in-training, he gets an idea: no sexual activity of any kind for Lent. Sex, kissing, masturbation...they're all off the table for forty days and forty nights. Naturally, a task this outrageous doesn't stay secret for long, and soon everyone is making bets on when he will fail. Many are actively encouraging it, like his co-worker who shamelessly flirts with him before giving him her number on a Xerox of her butt. A far greater impediment to his plan is the Erica (Sossamon), the funky girl at the laundromat he falls for (on day one).
This movie is a rare breed: a smart romantic comedy. It can be seen on a few levels. One is obviously a sex comedy, and it fulfills that niche. It has plenty of sex jokes, nudity and lowbrow humor. It can also be viewed on a more philosophical level. Like, is there a difference between physical and emotional attraction, and can looking for the former alone be harmful to a person's mind and body? And does Matt actually learn his lesson by giving up sex? Few of these questions are explored in detail, but they are there.
Josh Hartnett was one of the hottest studs in the movies around the turn of the millennium, and it's easy to lump him with the flash-in-the-pan hunks like Robert Pattinson or Taylor Lautner. While Hartnett's good looks certainly help him, he has plenty of talent to back him up. Hartnett is a charmer in a role that could have been a one-note doofus who exists to be the butt of a joke. Matt has set a difficult task for himself, but he is desperately trying to make it work. He's impossible not to like. Shannyn Sossamon, an underrated actress if there ever was one, is good as the earthy Erica. She's quirky enough to be engaging, but far more real than your typical Zooey Deschanel type. Paolo Costanzo is in fine form as Matt's incredulous roommate Ryan. The only one who doesn't work is Vinessa Shaw, who is far too bitchy to be credible. Any sane person would have run away from this witch within two minutes of meeting her. That may be the point, though.
A decent comedy runs around 90 minutes, and this one follows suit. But I think this movie could have been used a bit more time to breathe. In particular, the relationship between Matt and Erica. After the meet cute and a magical first date, Erica is mainly on screen to pout when Matt screws up (although there is a scene involving flowers that must be seen to be believed). The two actors have a lot of chemistry, and the film would have paid off more had they had more romantic scenes together.
Not everything the movie does works. Griffin Dunne is meant to be comic relief as Matt's sex-starved boss, but he's boring. Glenn Fitzgerald is miscast as Chris, Matt's co-worker who runs the bet. He's meant to be slimy, but the actor is just too creepy. Think a less psychotic version of Jake Gallo from "Pathology." There's also a fantasy sequence towards the end that doesn't work. The low point is the climax (no pun intended), which is more unpleasant the more one thinks about it. I won't give it away, but let's just say that in the real world, it would have serious legal and psychological ramifications for the characters involved. There had to have been a better way to conclude things.
Still, the movie is charming and has some big laughs. Pity the ending misfired.
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