Starring San Francisco: Getting Horny Even for Muni
The 2002 film "40 Days and 40 Nights"
is by no means a spectacular work of art, but with it being Lent and
all, it is timely. For Lent, Matt (Josh Hartnett) gives up "sex and all
things sex-like" in response to a bad breakup. And then the rest of the
movie reveals just how sex-obsessed Matt and the rest of San Francisco
are.
In fact, the city is so obsessed with sex that even the clergy can't control themselves. Women wear mini-skirts in the workplace (is that kosher?). Matt's roommate has an impressive collection of mainstream porn. Matt's alt love interest Erica (Shannyn Sossamon) just wants to bone already. Matt's dot-com coworkers place bets on when Matt will break--no mention of how lucky they were to survive the dot-com bust though. No gays, but everyone knows they boink like bunnies anyway, right?
It could be said that "40 Days" exaggerates the city's relationship to sex, but it is true that San Francisco cares deeply about sexuality. We have the Center for Sex and Culture, Good Vibrations (NSFW), local queer porn companies, sex writers, the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality--the list could go on. But what the film gets wrong is how some San Franciscans (namely, the liberal, sex-positive, possibly feminist denizens) view sex.
At the end of the movie, in the last hour of his vow, Matt is asleep, handcuffed to his bed frame to prevent any chance of getting his hands on his own junk. Matt's ex sneaks into the apartment and rapes him while he is still asleep. The rape, however, is never recognized as rape by anyone in the film and not because of some denial deal either. It's just not rape. Erica finds out, gets mad at Matt. They make up. Would the rape go unnoticed in the San Francisco we know? It certainly strikes a chord with the viewer. This isn't a sad, unfortunate moment for Matt; this is an incredibly uncomfortable and confusing moment that merits much more of an aftermath and reflection than it receives.
But in some places, "40 Days" gets it right, and that place is Erica. She's spunky, sassy, and sarcastic: a perfect display of the city's über hip vibe. She wears tall, lace-up black leather boots. She's got funky hair. She even sports a shirt that says "Turkey" in Turkish! Her take on sex is spot-on, and you could imagine her volunteering for some anti abstinence-only rally. She tells it like it is. "We're both sitting here," she says, "thinking about sex because we can't think about sex because we can't talk about sex and we certainly cannot have sex." She has a healthy sexual appetite and just wants Matt to be straight with her about their relationship.
To be honest, this story could have been set almost any American city, but the film goes to great lengths to pay homage to the social and physical environment San Francisco. There was something about this city that spoke to the filmmakers, and you'd need more than your own set of fingers to count all the visual references to San Francisco. Matt and Erica even have their first date on MUNI, for Pete's sake. You'd have to agree that's one metaphorical boner for the Barbary Coast.
"40 Days and 40 Nights" is available on Netflix and Amazon.
Starring San Francisco is Appeal culture reporter, Christine Borden's, take on the city's cinematic past to illuminate today. Have a locally-set film you'd like to see featured? Tell her at christine@sfappeal.com
In fact, the city is so obsessed with sex that even the clergy can't control themselves. Women wear mini-skirts in the workplace (is that kosher?). Matt's roommate has an impressive collection of mainstream porn. Matt's alt love interest Erica (Shannyn Sossamon) just wants to bone already. Matt's dot-com coworkers place bets on when Matt will break--no mention of how lucky they were to survive the dot-com bust though. No gays, but everyone knows they boink like bunnies anyway, right?
It could be said that "40 Days" exaggerates the city's relationship to sex, but it is true that San Francisco cares deeply about sexuality. We have the Center for Sex and Culture, Good Vibrations (NSFW), local queer porn companies, sex writers, the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality--the list could go on. But what the film gets wrong is how some San Franciscans (namely, the liberal, sex-positive, possibly feminist denizens) view sex.
At the end of the movie, in the last hour of his vow, Matt is asleep, handcuffed to his bed frame to prevent any chance of getting his hands on his own junk. Matt's ex sneaks into the apartment and rapes him while he is still asleep. The rape, however, is never recognized as rape by anyone in the film and not because of some denial deal either. It's just not rape. Erica finds out, gets mad at Matt. They make up. Would the rape go unnoticed in the San Francisco we know? It certainly strikes a chord with the viewer. This isn't a sad, unfortunate moment for Matt; this is an incredibly uncomfortable and confusing moment that merits much more of an aftermath and reflection than it receives.
But in some places, "40 Days" gets it right, and that place is Erica. She's spunky, sassy, and sarcastic: a perfect display of the city's über hip vibe. She wears tall, lace-up black leather boots. She's got funky hair. She even sports a shirt that says "Turkey" in Turkish! Her take on sex is spot-on, and you could imagine her volunteering for some anti abstinence-only rally. She tells it like it is. "We're both sitting here," she says, "thinking about sex because we can't think about sex because we can't talk about sex and we certainly cannot have sex." She has a healthy sexual appetite and just wants Matt to be straight with her about their relationship.
To be honest, this story could have been set almost any American city, but the film goes to great lengths to pay homage to the social and physical environment San Francisco. There was something about this city that spoke to the filmmakers, and you'd need more than your own set of fingers to count all the visual references to San Francisco. Matt and Erica even have their first date on MUNI, for Pete's sake. You'd have to agree that's one metaphorical boner for the Barbary Coast.
"40 Days and 40 Nights" is available on Netflix and Amazon.
Starring San Francisco is Appeal culture reporter, Christine Borden's, take on the city's cinematic past to illuminate today. Have a locally-set film you'd like to see featured? Tell her at christine@sfappeal.com
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