Swingers / 40 Days and 40 Nights

SWINGERS: SWINGERS follows insecure Mike (Jon Favreau) and smooth-talking Trent (Vince Vaughn), two retro-hip showbiz wannabes, as they make the scene at various clubs in Hollywood and Vegas. During their martini-fueled odyssey, the duo and their buddies explore an altogether new vernacular while struggling with images of machismo, self-esteem, relationships, and, of course, sex. Lead actor Favreau based the script on his and his friends' real-life Tinseltown adventures.

40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS: Matt (Josh Hartnett) is having a hard time moving on six months after his relationship with bombshell Nicole (Vinessa Shaw) ended. He finds himself involved in empty physical relationships that are unfulfilling and ultimately send him fleeing. His solution is to give up sex and anything sexual for the 40 days of Lent. Initially, Matt is empowered by his decision--until he meets stunning Erica (Shannyn Sossamon), the girl of his dreams, at the local laundromat. Erica doesn't know about Matt's vow of abstinence, which impacts their budding relationship. To complicate matters more, Matt's co-workers are determined to literally put their two cents in by establishing a betting pool about how long Matt can keep his vow. Hartnett is endearing as the clumsy Matt, who desperately wants to do the right thing. The city of San Francisco provides a beautiful backdrop to this modern look at love that includes a touch of crude teen-movie humor.