2002 was a magical year. Ben Affleck was named People’s Sexiest Man Alive, Halle Berry became the first black actress to win the Academy Award for Best Actress, Christina Aguilera entered her ‘Dirrty’ era, and I was busy playing the Sims and lusting over Josh Hartnett in 40 Days And 40 Nights.
If you missed the flick, 40 Days And 40 Nights followed the story of Hartnett’s character, Matt, a young man who vows to stay celibate during the 40 days of Lent. Matt is determined to remain chaste but then he meets the girl of his dreams and finds himself stuck between the pressures of his friends, his new love interest, and his own inner turmoil.
Spoiler alert: Matt’s friends turn his sexual problems into a game, placing bets on when they think he will break his vow of celibacy. His new love interest, Erica, eventually finds out about the office pool and although she’s understandably upset, he manages to win her back and they live happily ever after.
Sounds like the kind of cheeky rom-com you’d resort to when there’s no episodes of Handmaid’s Tale left to watch, right? Well, in hindsight, 40 Days and 40 Nights is actually really, really dark.
When Matt meets Erica, he learns that she is a cyber nanny working for a company that keeps kids from accessing harmful porn sites. Her job is ironic, considering the office pool betting on Matt’s celibacy is later broadcasted on the Internet for the world to see.
When Matt’s friends and co-workers get frustrated they’re not winning the bet, they try to coerce him into breaking his vow. One of his colleagues essentially drugs him, crushing Viagra into his orange juice, and in a jealous rage, his ex-girlfriend actually rapes him.
During a Reddit AMA, Rob Perez who wrote the film addressed the rape scene, telling fans, “I take full responsibility…You’re entitled to not like the scene. You’re entitled to the opinion “I did a bad thing” in writing it.”
Obviously, 40 Days And 40 Nights was a comedy, and the storyline was meant to be taken with a pinch of salt, but looking back, it was quite messed up. Food for thought next time you chuck it on Netflix when there’s nothing else on.
If you, or anyone you know is a victim of sexual assault, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or 1800 RESPECT for support.