Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- raunchy
- breezy
- silly
- date night
- late night comedy viewing
What critics said
Critics generally found the film intermittently funny and sympathetic but overly smutty, sexist, puerile, and weakened by its one-joke premise and ending.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Matt's public forty-day vow forbids every form of sexual activity while friends and strangers react to the challenge.
Matt refuses to tell Erica about his vow, making secrecy the source of their relationship complications.
The film combines explicit sexual jokes and farce with Matt's sincere desire to understand his fixation on Nicole and pursue a healthier relationship.
Matt's sexual reputation, obsession with Nicole, and struggle to maintain celibacy organize the film's comic and romantic perspective.
Films like 40 Days and 40 Nights, and why
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Shares the sex comedy format, romantic miscommunication, adult relationship themes, and breezy mainstream tone.
American Pie
Shares raunchy romantic comedy conventions, sexual anxiety, commitment dilemmas, and ensemble comic energy.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Shares the romantic comedy structure, male self-improvement premise, dating complications, and sentimental resolution.
Don Jon
Shares an adult abstinence premise, sexual farce, and comic examination of desire and relationships.
Movie Details
- Director
- Michael Lehmann
- Release Date
- 2002-03-01
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 5.5 / 10 (1268)
Cast
- Josh Hartnett
- Shannyn Sossamon
- Paulo Costanzo
- Vinessa Shaw
- Maggie Gyllenhaal
- Adam Trese
- Griffin Dunne
- Emmanuelle Vaugier
- Lorin Heath
- Aaron Trainor
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is 40 Days and 40 Nights about?
- A sexually confident young man turns a forty-day celibacy vow into an increasingly chaotic test of whether he can move beyond his ex and commit to someone new.
- What is 40 Days and 40 Nights like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of 40 Days and 40 Nights as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is 40 Days and 40 Nights violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in 40 Days and 40 Nights as mild.
- What did critics think of 40 Days and 40 Nights?
- Critics generally found the film intermittently funny and sympathetic but overly smutty, sexist, puerile, and weakened by its one-joke premise and ending.
- Which films are like 40 Days and 40 Nights?
- Films with a similar feel include The 40-Year-Old Virgin, American Pie, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and Don Jon.
- How long is 40 Days and 40 Nights?
- 40 Days and 40 Nights runs 94 minutes.
- Where can I watch 40 Days and 40 Nights?
- In United States, 40 Days and 40 Nights is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
