Trama

After a brutal break-up, a young man vows to stay celibate during the forty days of Lent, but finds the girl of his dreams and is unable to do anything about it.

Nicole broke up with Matt months ago and is now engaged to someone else. He's very good-looking and has no trouble finding other lovers, but that doesn't help because he's still obsessed with wanting her back. Then he gets the inspiration that swearing off sex for Lent (all forms of sexual activity, even kissing or masturbation) will give him the perspective he needs. So of course a few days later he meets a woman and they fall in love. Now Matt sees his vow as a personal matter, and won't even tell her about it, but his friends think otherwise, and now the complications begin...—Anonymous

It's been six months since Nicole unceremoniously broke up with Matt, who works at a San Francisco dot com. Although he has had his fair share of sex since, Matt hasn't dealt with the break up well as he can only think about that the woman he is with at any given time is not Nicole, and even in the act of sex, he has the feeling like he is being swallowed up by a big black hole in his emptiness. His form of therapy - "confessions" to his brother John, a Catholic seminary student - has done little to help. A specific event sends Matt over the emotional edge, he knowing he having to do something drastic to deal with the issue. His solution: for the forty days of Lent, he will abstain from sex, including abstaining from self-pleasure. This vow to himself is made all the more difficult in his roommate Ryan being equally as sexually driven as him, he who will not stop his sexual activities such as bringing beautiful women to their apartment which will only tempt him. Shortly after he makes this vow, Matt meets Erica, between who there is a mutual physical attraction as well as emotional connection. Even if Erica does learn about the vow and everything associated with it, she may be unwilling to go along with Matt for this ride. Making the situation even more difficult is Matt's large stable of coworkers and beyond, each who has a vested interested in whether Matt succeeds and/or when he fails, some taking measures for that failure to happen. The larger issue still remains if Erica and/or the vow will help Matt deal with his destructive feelings for Nicole, who is still somewhat peripherally in his life.—Huggo

Matt Sullivan (Josh Hartnett) lives in San Francisco with his roommate Ryan, working at a dot-com company. Matt's obsession with his ex-girlfriend Nicole (Vinessa Shaw) causes him sexual dysfunction with other women, which he confides to his brother John (Adam Trese), a Catholic priest-in-training. After a disastrous attempt to fake an orgasm with a date Susie (Emmanuelle Vaugier), Matt learns that Nicole is now engaged (she went to France and met a guy and got engaged). Hoping to resolve his issues, he vows to abstain from sexual stimulation, including masturbation, for the 40 days of Lent.

On the first day of his celibacy, Matt purges his apartment of items of temptation and reminders of Nicole. At a laundromat, he befriends a stranger named Erica (Shannyn Sossamon), despite being unable to bring himself to speak to her. Unbeknownst to Matt, his coworkers and Ryan (His best friend) start an office pool (Matt works at a web page design company and is a programmer) to bet on how long he can last (either with a girl or masturbating), which soon spreads online. Its day 11 and Matt is still going strong. John and Ryan can't believe it. Soon, the girls get on it on the action and try to excite Matt into ejaculating. Candy (Monet Mazur) photocopies her ass and gives it to Matt with her phone number.

He revisits the laundromat to see Erica, who reveals she works as a "cyber nanny" filtering internet pornography. They share an emotional connection, and Matt takes Erica on a date riding the city bus, but awkwardly avoids kissing her. Ryan & the guys at the office think Matt is really into her and will definitely seal the deal after the bus date. Ryan even suggests that 2 meetings without a kiss may be charming but go 3 and you are a homo. Matt wont Erica goodbye even after she totally gives him an opening. Sam (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is Erica's roommate and says either he is gay or has a girlfriend.

Matt & Erica both discover his coworkers' betting pool, complete with its own website. Matt tries to explain his intentions, but Erica remains upset (she thinks Matt made a bet about how long he can go without sleeping with her). Matt explains that he is doing this for himself and not for a bet. Day 22 and Matt's boss decides to join him in celibacy. Having fallen for Matt, Erica agrees to another date, where they run into Nicole and her fiance; Matt is all over the place, sets himself on fire, bumbles in his and Erica's introductions to Nicole and is bothered by her sexy and suave fiance; frustrated by Matt's vow and his feelings for Nicole, Erica leaves him. Day 26 and Erica tells him that if he wants to be with her, then he should finish the vow. Struggling with his urges, Matt is forced to endure his coworkers' attempts (hot women, who offer a lesbian threesome as a fair offer) (local Starbucks sponsoring a no bra day) to sabotage him. He turns to his brother for help, but even a family dinner results in their parents discussing their own sex life.

By Day 35 of Matt's vow, the pool has reached $18,000, and a colleague convinces him to give in (The colleague had the bet for the day and offers to split the pot 50:50 with Matt if he lets go). Matt marches into the bathroom to masturbate, but instead discovers his boss - who accidentally had a Viagra-spiked drink intended for Matt - pleasuring himself in the next stall. With the entire office waiting, Matt escapes through the bathroom window and goes to Erica. They reconcile and spend a night of intimacy together without actual intercourse.

On Day 38, Matt has an inadvertent erection at work and is sent home. Nicole arrives at his apartment, having broken up with her cheating fiance, but Matt rejects her advances and sends her away, which only excites her more. Overhearing the bet the next day, she goes to Matt's coworkers, adding her own $3,500 to the pot and discovering that Matt has plans to celebrate with Erica at midnight when his vow ends.

On Day 40, the long-suffering Matt is unable to stop picturing women naked. He walks in on his brother kissing a nun; tormented by Matt's exploits, John is taking a sabbatical from the priesthood. Fighting to contain himself, Matt has Ryan (Paulo Costanzo) handcuff him to his bed and awakens from an erotic dream to find Nicole has sexually assaulted him while he was asleep, just before midnight. Arriving as Nicole is leaving, Erica assumes Matt was unfaithful and dishonored his vow, and storms out. Determined to win Erica back, Matt gives her a box of moments they had shared; he finds her at the laundromat, and they finally kiss. As they consummate their relationship in Matt's bedroom for hours, Ryan and the coworkers wait outside and place new bets on how long he can last, until Matt kicks them all out.