Movie Review: 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002) – A Celibacy Challenge Rom-Com That Falls Short

Movie Review: 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002) – A Celibacy Challenge Rom-Com That Falls Short 

Tags 40 Days and 40 Nights review, Josh Hartnett, romantic comedy, Shannyn Sossamon, 2000s movies, Michael Lehmann, sex comedies, movie reviews, celibacy in movies, raunchy comedies 

  

 Overview

40 Days and 40 Nights is a 2002 romantic comedy directed by Michael Lehmann. It stars Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossamon, and Vinessa Shaw, and centers on a young man who takes a vow of celibacy for Lent — only to meet the perfect girl the moment he swears off sex.

Plot Summary

Matt (Josh Hartnett) is a San Francisco web designer heartbroken from a recent breakup. Tired of meaningless hookups, he decides to give up sex — and all forms of intimacy — for 40 days during Lent. Naturally, right as he embarks on this personal detox, he meets Erica (Shannyn Sossamon), a witty and charming woman who might be exactly what he’s been looking for. Complicating matters, Matt's roommate Ryan discovers the vow and turns it into a public spectacle by launching a betting site on whether Matt can last the full 40 days. As temptations escalate and misunderstandings pile up, Matt’s challenge quickly becomes more about emotional honesty than just abstinence.

What Works

• Performance: Josh Hartnett is affable and occasionally funny in the lead, and Shannyn Sossamon brings a low-key charm to a thinly written love interest.
• Direction: Michael Lehmann (known for Heathers) keeps the film briskly paced and visually polished, even if the story struggles to maintain momentum.
• Concept: The inversion of the usual “guy trying to get laid” trope is refreshing in theory, giving the film a unique starting point in the raunch-com genre.

What Doesn’t Work

• The plot relies heavily on contrivances and avoids real emotional stakes, opting instead for sitcom-level misunderstandings.
• Most supporting characters, especially Matt’s roommate, veer into caricature territory, and the film uses gross-out gags as filler rather than real humor.

Final Thoughts

40 Days and 40 Nights is a watchable but forgettable entry in the early 2000s rom-com scene. While it starts with a clever premise, the execution leans too heavily on clichés and easy laughs. Fans of Josh Hartnett or early-2000s nostalgia may find it mildly entertaining, but for most viewers, it’s a middling experience.

Rating

⭐ Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

What did you think of 40 Days and 40 Nights? Leave a comment below or share your favorite (or most cringeworthy) moment from the film!

If you enjoyed this review, check out my takes on other romantic comedies here.

Movie Review: 40 Days and 40 Nights

40 Days and 40 Nights (2002) 

Directed by Michael Lehmann 

Written by Robert Perez

Starring Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossomon, Paulo Costanzo, Vinessa Shaw, Griffin Dunne, Monet Mazur

Release Date March 1st 2002 

Published February 27th 2002 

In the 1980's, guys attempting to get laid became a genre all it's own. In the 90's however, political correctness threatened to destroy the horny guy movie. Now in 2002, things have become so inverted that we have a film featuring a guy doing all he can to not get laid. What is this world coming to? 40 Days & 40 Nights stars Josh Hartnett as Matt, a web designer recovering from a bad breakup by having a lot of meaningless sex. After finding sex not to be the answer, Matt decides to go in the opposite direction, no sex at all. 

Of course it is then that he meets the girl of his dreams, Erica (Shannyn Sossamon). Matt decides to try to just be friends with Erica but mistakenly does not explain his current no-sex crusade. Matt's friend and Roommate Ryan (Road Trip's Paulo Costanzo) finds out what he's up to and seize the opportunity to start a website to take bets as to whether Ryan can hold out the full 40 days. 

From there we are treated to the usual romantic comedy situations that desperately throw up lame roadblocks to keep the lovebirds apart. Of course all of the complications could be avoided if the characters were honest with one another, but if they did that there wouldn't be any movie. Director Michael Lehman obviously knew his story was weak so he also throws in a little gross-out humor to fill out the film’s just-over-90 minute runtime.

40 Days & 40 Nights is a well-crafted film. It is well shot, the performances are good. Hartnett occasionally looks like he is straining for the joke, but for the most part comes off as the likeable doofus the character is supposed to be.

In the end the film isn't bad but it is far from memorable. It is the definition of average.