40 Days and 40 Nights is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann, written by Rob Perez, and starring Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossamon, Paulo Costanzo, and Vinessa Shaw.
Matt Sullivan (Hartnett), after a bad breakup and finding out his ex-girlfriend Nicole (Shaw) is now engaged to another man, decides to give something up for Lent: Namely, any form of sex, including keeping himself company. When his friend/roommate Ryan (Costanzo) and their co-workers find out, they make a Side Bet that he won't make it, which eventually goes viral with people online betting as to what day and manner in which he'll break the vow. Things go a bit awry when he meets Erica (Sossamon), the girl of his dreams, soon after.
This film contains examples of:
- All Men Are Perverts: The film ignorantly seems to imply that the main character is crazy or stupid for abstaining from sex to get a clearer head, insisting that it's in his nature to screw anything that moves. It's further backed by the other characters who mock him and later try to sabotage his decision, seemingly for no real reason.
- Almighty Janitor: The bagel guy (played by Michael Maronna) seems to know everything. Incidentally, he's how Matt found out about Nicole's engagement.
- Artistic License – Religion: The premise, and the very title of the film, put the duration of Lent at 40 days. This is correct in that the days observed as Lent between Ash Wednesday and Easter are 40. In actual duration however, the period between Ash Wednesday and Easter is 46 days and 46 nights - Sundays aren't counted as part of Lent. If Matt was calling his vow over as of 40 days past Ash Wednesday, it'd still be a week until Easter.
- There's also the issue of an unmarried person giving up sex for Lent. As the Church views premarital sex as a sin, it's something he really shouldn't be doing in the first place, meaning it's not much of a sacrifice.
- The Bet: What day and act Matt will break his vow of celibacy to.
- Betty and Veronica: Erica (brunette but nice) and Nicole (blonde but not so nice).
- Black Comedy Rape: Matt getting raped in his sleep by his ex is intended as this.
- Boy Meets Girl: Part of the movie's plot.
- Cheek Copy: One of Matt's female co-workers uses this to try to seduce him.
- Cold Turkeys Are Everywhere:
- ...But do not expect the same results if attempted in the real world if you are not Josh Hartnett.
- Also invoked, as his female co-workers don't like the thought of him upsetting the amount of sexual power that women have in relationships and try to get him to break his vow for a cut of the betting pool.
- Destructo-Nookie: After Matt's Lent vow is complete...let's just say he and Erica need to stock up on some essentials.
- Dirty Old Man: Matt's boss Jerry, whose wife doesn't put out like she used to.
- Double Standard Rape: Female on Male: Nicole handcuffs Matt to his bed and has sex with him while he's asleep and, therefore, can't consent. The only person who has a problem with it is Erica, who thinks Matt had consensual sex with Nicole, forcing him to beg for Erica's forgiveness, while Nicole's act of sexual assault is brushed off as just a comically desperate form of cheating on their bet and not... y'know, sexual assault. Even Matt and Erica just seem to shrug it off once they agree that "it doesn't count." Audiences' reaction to it at the time were pretty negative.
- Erotic Dream: During his final day of Lent, Matt has a dream of flying over a field made of breasts, then seeing Erica naked atop a washing machine in a laundromat as she goads him on to orgasm.
- Erotic Eating: Matt catches a glimpse of a random woman eating a banana a...certain way.
- Fake Orgasm: Early in the film, Matt fakes an orgasm with his date. However, she is unconvinced and demands to see his condom. Matt's next instinct is to quickly roll off of her and run out his bedroom in search of something, anything white.
- Fan Disservice: Matt's Erotic Dream about Erica at the end is ruined by brief shots of Nicole sexually assaulting him in reality.
- Fanservice Extra: One fantasy sequence Matt has is of every woman he sees naked. Cue topless women galore (all of them young and good-looking).
- Girl on Girl Is Hot: Two of Matt's female co-workers pull this to try and get Matt to crack.
- G-Rated Sex: Matt and Erica engage in this using a flower.
- The Immodest Orgasm:
- Early in the film, Matt fakes an orgasm with his date. She isn't convinced.
- Matt also overhears Ryan and a girl having sex.
- It's Not You, It's Me: Matt tells Erica something like this when trying to explain his vow of celibacy.
- Karma Houdini: Nicole, as mentioned, sexually assaults Matt and gets the pooled money, and just skankily saunters off into the night.
- The Loins Sleep Tonight: What kick-starts the plot, since Matt has Nicole (or, more accurately, her recent engagement) stuck in his head.
- Loophole Abuse: Erica accepts Matt's apology for being raped by agreeing that "it doesn't count."
- The Modest Orgasm: Erica has one after Matt blows a flower across her body.
- The Mole: Ryan reports on Matt's activities during Lent.
- Parallel Porn Titles: Ryan finds a tape of In Diana Jones and the Temple of Poon.
- Raging Stiffie: In the last few days of Lent, Matt's knocking things off of the table when he turns.
- Something Else Also Rises: An example that combines fanservice with Fan Disservice, given the context. The parts of Matt's Erotic Dream where Erica lays naked atop a washing machine, stares down at him sultrily, and goads him on as his arousal builds is interspersed with shots of Nicole mounting him and goading him on as well until he opens the washing machine, causing a torrent of water to gush out while, in reality, he climaxes before waking up to find Nicole straddling him.
- The Unfair Sex: Paired with Not What It Looks Like, forcing Matt to beg Erica's forgiveness for having been raped.
- Vow of Celibacy: Matt makes one to give up sex (or anything sexual) for the title 40 days (of Lent). When he does this, his friends make bets about when he'll fail, and people conspire to break it.
- World of Jerkass: Just about every supporting character in the film is a jerk. Matt's seminarian brother John doesn't support or help him stay celibate. Ryan reports on Matt's activities to his co-workers, some of whom try to get Matt to break his vow through a number of ways, ranging from producing a Cheek Copy to going as far as to lace Matt's orange juice with Viagra (though Jerry ends up drinking it instead). And Nicole literally rapes him.
