Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ignore the professional reviewers/critics, March 2, 2002
By A Customer
I've found the greater amount of movies disappoint me, but Josh Hartnett has proven himself to be one of the rare actors of Hollywood, who takes risks and can laugh at himself. This movie was upbeat, snappy writing, although not as hyperactive as "The Gilmore Girls" and moved at a great pace, not too slow, not too fast. I laughed out loud often, along with the rest of the audience.
The theme exposes how young, hip, single men look at thier own sexual needs as opposed to how we woman view sex. A handsome hunk who apparently has no problems attracting woman, Josh's character is carrying around self-imposed sexual performance baggage after being dumped by a longtime girlfriend. His humorous, Catholic roots influence his choice to vow to 40 days of total sexual abstinance for Lent, in an attempt to once again attain control over his "issues".
I thought Hartnett and his co-stars did a terrific job of portraying the real but laughable status of men's basic sexual needs/desires. This plot plays on the recent study that revealed how men think about sex every few moments. Yes, LOTS of guys watch porn, read Playboy and gratify themselves. This is no secret, and certainly easier to hear mention of than the perversions portrayed in so many other movies.
Unknown to him at first, Hartnett's co-workers and friends take the abstinance ball and run with it as a sub plot, while we watch Josh start to suffer. Throw in a tempting and available new love interest to test his will and the sexual tension heats up.
I found this movie far less offensive than most of the regularly available crud on prime time TV and more tame than you might expect, in terms of sexuality, language etc. Each character was developed enough to make the viewer believe them.
I suppose you could call this a guy movie, but any of us women who have lived with a man, will recognize the dilemma and actions of the main character and his cohorts.
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16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's ok..., March 18, 2002
40/40 is just another romantic comedy that borders on unbelievable. It's about a guy who makes the ultimate sacrifice to forego sex or anything related to sex for the duration of Lent (40 days). This started as a way for Matt (Josh Hartnett) to rid himself of his nightmares and sexual claustrophobia as he has "meaningless" sex with other women after he got dumped by his girlfriend. The office gets wind of this peculiar act, or non-act, and decides that it's worth betting on. In the course of not having sex, he meets a girl he falls in love with even without physically knowing her. Things just get tougher when people have money at stake and want him to fail, so there are many temptations along the way. Whether he makes it or not, you'll have to watch the film (or e-mail me) to find out.It's not a laugh-out-loud type of comedy. It's definitely fun to watch and not crude in any way, but it doesn't stand out. LEAP rating (each out of 5):
L (Language) - 4 (lots of fast talking and witty comebacks)
E (Erotica) - 3 (two brief minor upper-body nudity scenes)
A (Action) - 0 (n/a)
P (Plot) - 3 (you think he'll make it?)
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Hilarious Take on Abstinence, March 3, 2002
Matt Sullivan (Josh Hartnett) is a web developer working San Francisco who had the woman of his dreams -- a woman so hot, in fact, that even the "Bagel Guy" talks about her. Perfect, until she broke his heart. Now Matt can't sustain even the shortest of relationships without suffering panic attacks.Things get worse when the all-knowing "Bagel Guy" reveals that his ex-girlfriend is now engaged to her yuppy corporate executive boyfriend of two weeks. Faced with this recent escalation of his personal tragedy, Matt finds himself desperate to get over his ex-girlfriend and be able to move on. His priest-in-training older brother is little help and Matt is suddenly struck by a possible solution: he'll give up sex and all physical intimacy for 40 days. His roommate (Paulo Costanzo, "Road Trip") thinks he's insane and when his web-development co-workers find out they secretly start a betting pool on how long he'll actually hold out. When the geeks start tracking the results on the Internet, the pool climbs into the thousands and suddenly everyone is trying to influence the outcome. Faced with gorgeous co-workers trying to seduce him in the supply room and other temptations, Matt finds himself taking refuge in the laundromat. That's when he meets Erica (Shannyn Sossamon, "A Knight's Tale") a woman unlike any he has met and the first woman he's had any real feelings for since his ex-girlfriend. The problem is that she doesn't know about the vow -- yet. Just as things start really working with Erica and as he enters his final week, Matt's ex-girlfriend shows up at his door and turns up the heat even more. With the clock ticking, the bets rising, the temptations growing more enticing, the saboteurs working, his relationship with Erica growing, his hormones raging and his ex-girlfriend pursuing him -- the question of whether or not Matt will be able to hold out is the one on everyone's mind. This movie is a hilarious romp through one guy's most desperate attempt to let go of the woman who broke his heart and take charge of his future. It is a trendy and humorous perspective on abstinence and is probably one of the funniest movies I've seen since "Road Trip". I'd definitely watch this movie again and plan to buy it on DVD when it is available.
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