Film

40 Days and 40 Nights

Name: 40 Days and 40 Nights
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Released: 2002
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossamon, Paulo Costanzo, Vinessa Shaw, Maggie Gyllenhaal

Romantic comedy
Comedy
Light-hearted

A romantic comedy about a commitment-phobic guy who vows celibacy for Lent, only to meet someone who makes him question everything. It's a premise-driven 2002 film that swings for broad laughs and sweet moments with uneven aim. For people who like their romance with a gimmick and don't mind dated humor, or who catch it in the right mood.

TMDb rating

2.7

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like a raunchy romantic comedy built on one sour premise, where the hero's bad habits are funny because he plays them completely straight.

Skip it if you need your romantic comedy polished, because the humour leans on crude set pieces and the hero's self-pity can grow tiresome.

What it asks of you: Ninety-four minutes, light and quick, with little to chew on between the gags; it wants a willingness to laugh at vanity and a tolerance for lovelorn bluster.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

American Pie1999

A touchstone teen comedy that similarly uses a bet structure to explore sex, relationships, and growing up. Sharp ensemble cast, genuine heart beneath the raunch, and it actually landed its jokes. This is what a comedy built on a high concept should feel like.

But Aggressively of its era in ways that haven't aged perfectly. Also considerably rauncher than 40 Days, if that's a concern.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall2008

Jason Segel as a heartbroken guy trying to move on, but written and performed with real wit and warmth. Judd Apatow's best romantic comedy: funny enough to stand on its own, sweet enough that you believe the feelings.

But Longer than 40 Days and takes its time. Some will find it baggy; some will find that the breathing room is the whole point.

Chasing Amy1997

Kevin Smith's best film: a romantic comedy about impossible attraction and self-sabotage. It's funny, yes, but it's also genuinely moving about why people screw up love. The leads have real chemistry and vulnerability.

But Heavy on dialogue and comic-book store talk. If you're looking for broad comedy rather than character study, you'll be disappointed.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from 40 Days and 40 Nights

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Poseidon Adventure1972

Both films use a arbitrary constraint as a moral forcing function: 40 Days uses celibacy to explore what someone actually wants; Poseidon uses disaster to strip away pretense. The frame reveals character.

A disaster film where the structure is the romance: people tested by impossible circumstances, discovering what they're capable of and who they need. It's operatic, physical, and moving in ways blockbusters now aren't allowed to be.

But Nearly three hours, shot in the 1970s, with dated special effects. It's not lightweight, and it doesn't apologize for taking itself seriously about survival and love.

Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!2004

Tad Hartley as a movie star, Josh Duhamel as the decent guy. It's aware enough of its own absurdity to be fun, and it's genuinely trying to be charming rather than clever. Peak early-2000s romantic comedy comfort food.

But It is exactly what it appears to be. If the premise doesn't appeal, nothing in the film will surprise you into liking it.

Love Actually2003

A multi-threaded Christmas romance with a huge cast, made with genuine affection for the rom-com form. Some stories land better than others, but the best ones—particularly Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson—are genuinely moving.

But Nearly two and a half hours, and some threads are considerably more saccharine than others. It's aggressively earnest, which works until it doesn't.

The Wedding Singer1998

Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore with real chemistry, set in the 1980s, genuinely charming and funny. It knows what it is and commits to it without apology. Hugely rewatchable.

But Relies on Sandler's particular brand of humor, which doesn't work for everyone. Also dated in ways that feel more deliberate than earned.

DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story2004

Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller in peak comic form, riffing brilliantly off each other. It's absurd, it's quotable, and it understands that romantic comedy and comedy-comedy can exist in the same film without fighting.

But The humor is aggressive and arbitrary—it doesn't always land, and when it doesn't, there's nothing beneath it. Some find it exhausting.

About a Boy2002

Hugh Grant as a selfish man learning to care, with genuine warmth and character growth. It's a romance with architecture: it knows why these people heal each other, and it takes the time to show it.

But More subdued than 40 Days, and the romance is secondary. If you're looking for broad laughs and meet-cutes, you're in the wrong place.

She's Out of My League2010

Jay Baruchel as an insecure guy who lands someone out of his perceived league. It's sweet, funny enough, and actually interested in why people feel unworthy of love.

But Relies on the premise that attractiveness is quantifiable in a way that gets uncomfortable. Forgettable as soon as it's over.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World2010

Both use a central conceit (celibacy, evil exes) that seems comic but is actually about the work of becoming someone worthy of love. The gimmick is the real story.

Edgar Wright's visually audacious romance, where the romantic plot is inseparable from stylistic excess and absurdist comedy. It's about being shaped by your past relationships and learning to grow. Joyous and alive in ways most films don't attempt.

But Exhaustingly stylish—it's collage as narrative. If you find visual gimmickry exhausting rather than exhilarating, you'll resent every frame.