This film, released in 2002, is like all the other teen gross out comedies you'll find (such as "American Pie" or "Road Trip"). However, the characters are out of school, even out of college, and are in jobs. They're working to pay the bills, they're doing their own laundry and living their own lives. So I kind of felt the gross out sex humour a little too forced and immature in this one. We've seen these jokes a million times. Yes, we still have some fun moments and chuckles, but when we're in our mid-20s and the jokes are trying to copy the "teen/gross out" genre, it just doesn't fit.
The idea for this movie is actually quite a clever one: what if an overly sex-minded 25-year-old (approximate age) male takes a vow of abstinence for 40 days? We can imagine some really clever scenarios and situations that could be played out. Unfortunately, we are left with few. What plays out is a conventional romantic-comedy genre where boy meets girl, they fall-in love, they fight, they meet together at the end. Whilst this is the accepted convention for other films, it just doesn't quite work out here. The writers have tried to merge two genres into one, and what results is a film void of any real comedy, weak characters and contrived conversations.
At the beginning, the film starts off with Matt (Josh Hartnett, whose performance was a little too awkward at times), a tall, cute guy who has a normal sexual appetite, who has just broken up with his long term girlfriend Nicole. With the help of his roommate Ryan (Paulo Costanzo, from "Road Trip" fame), he tries to get his mind off her by meeting as many girls as possible. But still, he is haunted by her and can't get her out of his mind. After hearing some inspiring words from his brother John (Adam Tresse), who is training to become a priest, he decides to take a vow of abstinence for Lent. However, abstinence includes EVERYTHING sexual (hint hint). Everyone doubts him, but Matt shows incredible self-control. We think he can do it. Until he meets a girl named Erica (Shannyn Sossamon), and is then tested to the extreme. To make matters worse, his office workers have gotten wind of the bet, and set up an internet betting pool to see how long it will go on. This is probably the most humorous part of the story. It is pretty funny watching the guys betting money and doing their best to get Matt to cave in. The character of Jerry (Griffin Dunnem, who probably gives the funniest performance here) is also great to watch as he tries to emulate Matt in an attempt to win back control of his marriage, but ultimately fails miserably at it.
However, whilst I feel the film ultimately falls flat, what it does succeed in showing (on however gross a level) is how a man's brain is wired. Men have animal instincts, and as Ryan points out, were designed to "spread their seed". So I can imagine that women who watch this may not understand what the big deal is, but men will fully appreciate Matt's plight and champion his cause. The love story between Matt and Erica also has touching moments, however cliched the storyline may be. But what ruins this connection is that we are given an actual beautiful moment between the two, but the ending is ultimately unsatisfying. I won't give it away, but I actually cringed. I think a better ending would've saved this movie.
"40 Days and Nights" has a good concept, some funny moments, but ultimately leaves us emotionally unsatisfied and quite frankly, a little bit disturbed.
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