40 Days and 40 Nights (2002)
Review by Igraine
Film:
DVD:

Written by Robert Perez
Directed by Michael Lehmann
Starring Josh Hartnett, Shannon Sossamon, Paulo Costanzo, Adam Trese, Emmanuelle Vaugier

Features:

• Scene specific audio commentary with director Lehmann, producer Michael London, and screenwriter Perez
  

My Advice: If you're in love with Josh Hartnett, you must own it. If not, just skip it.

Matt Sullivan (Hartnett) has a problem. He can't seem to get over his ex-girlfriend. Everytime he's with another girl in an...shall we say inimate setting, he sees the ceiling begin to crack open to a black hole. In his great wisdom and inspired by his priest-in-training brother, he decides to commit to a vow of celibacy for Lent (i.e., the forty days and nights of the title). That means no sex, sexual contact, and no (how do I say this?) sexual releases. No committing Shangri-La. Set in the DotCom world of San Francisco, Matt's co-workers create a betting pool to see how long he will survive. The biggest temptation of all is a new girl in his life, Erica (Sossaman). Will Matt meet the deadline or fall to temptation? Will Matt find a fabulous new girl or re-unite with his lost love?

Not a bad movie, if you are obsessed with sex and surface pleasures. This movie is by no means a 'deep' movie. But if you enjoy a basic romantic comedy, with a lot of sexual innuendos of course, then this is the flick for you. The acting was decent. Not great, not bad, but decent. All of the characters are believable, but then again, none of them have enough to them that could possibly stretch credibility. The direction, cinematography and design of the film are good; the shots are well done and the scenes are well laid out. I enjoyed the bold use of color throughout the film and the humerous Ally McBealish introspective flashes. But like I said, there's just not a lot there--a bit of a disappointment when you have an actor like Harnett (who may be a cutie pie, but he's a cutie pie who can act, dammit) and a director like Lehmann (Heathers, anyone?).

The DVD features consist of a teaser trailer and a scene-specific commentary with the director, producer, and scribe. The commentary is not that bad. In fact, at times it is rather humorous. You get to know the back story on some things. For example, all of Hartnett's haircuts were courtesy of either Pearl Harbor or Black Hawk Down. However, even though it's entertaining, you don't really gain any real knowledge by watching it. At the end of the day, it's about as unmoving and unimpressive as the film itself.

All in all, not a bad movie, just a shallow one. I'm not sure what else I would want to see on the disc proper, since we've got the commentary. Not sure what deleted scenes or a featurette would add--but running time. I would recommend renting it if you're in your late teens or early twenties--you might get a few laughs. But if you have matured to the point where you just need a film to have some depth and meaning (or at least be meaningless with a bit more style), this is definitely not your first choice.