40 Days and 40 Nights
| 40 Days and 40 Nights | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Michael Lehmann |
| Produced by |
Tim Bevan Eric Fellner Michael London |
| Written by | Robert Perez |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Rolfe Kent |
| Cinematography | Elliot Davis |
| Edited by | Nicholas C. Smith |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by |
Miramax Films (United States) Universal Pictures (International) Alliance Atlantis (Canada) |
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Release date
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Running time
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96 minutes |
| Country | United States United Kingdom France |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $17 million |
| Box office | $95.1 million |
40 Days and 40 Nights is a 2002 satirical erotic romantic comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann, written by Rob Perez and starring Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossamon and Paulo Costanzo. The film depicts Matt Sullivan, a San Francisco web designer who has chosen to abstain from any sexual contact for the duration of Lent.
Matt Sullivan (Josh Hartnett) and his roommate, Ryan (Paulo Costanzo), are co-workers at a San Francisco dot-com company. Matt is obsessed with his ex-girlfriend, Nicole (Vinessa Shaw), and his obsession repeatedly causes him problems during attempted one-night stands. He confides his sexual problems to his brother, John (Adam Trese), who is training to become a Catholic priest. In an attempt to fix his problems, Matt vows to abstain from sexual stimulation, including masturbation, for the 40 days and 40 nights of Lent. John warns Matt that chastity is not easy; meanwhile, Ryan starts a popular office pool to bet on how long Matt can last.
Matt meets Erica (Shannyn Sossamon), a cyber nanny, and they begin to date. They face many challenges in their relationship, including her discovery of his celibacy vow and Matt's continuing feelings for Nicole. Matt's co-workers make many unsuccessful attempts to persuade him to have sex in order to win the pool, and as the days pass Matt's obsession with sex grows. At one point he angrily grabs a pornographic magazine from an office desk and begins to march towards a toilet stall in order to masturbate, but his co-workers stop him and convince him to maintain his pledge.
Despite the range of increasingly powerful cultural incentives to sex and orgasm surrounding Matt—scantily-dressed women, billboards, et cetera—Matt's commitment holds, and begins to frustrate a lot of the people around him who had fully expected him to break it long before he could get close to his goal. In the meantime, Erica and Matt are falling in love, and they plan a special encounter for the 40th night to celebrate his successfully completing his vow. On the 40th day, a newly single Nicole learns of the betting pool, makes a large bet and then rapes Matt while he is asleep.
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