’40 Dates And 40 Nights’ Review – Love For Rent?

2026 is proving itself to be the year of the resurgence of romantic comedies. While they likely won’t ever reach the billion-dollar box office of other genre films, just the idea of two people falling in love is making audiences curious again. Some are more straightforward, like the dream romance fantasy of a You, Me & Tuscany. While others are way messier, like Kristoffer Borgli’s The Drama. And some are messy, problematic, and still kind of sweet like Will Gluck’s One Night Only. But luckily, Andy Delaney finds that all too familiar good, sweet spot in his romantic comedy, 40 Dates and 40 Nights.

The premise is simple. A young but lost girl named Leah (Bailee Madison) is looking for love in all the wrong places and going about it in the wrong way. On top of that, her roommate just ran out on her and the rent is due. Her grandmother Gigi (played by the fabulous Annie Potts) makes her a deal. Go on 40 consecutive dates (with the exception of no “hanky-panky”) and see if love finds her. If she succeeds, Gigi will cover her rent. Deal.

This concept covers many aspects that young people find themselves in. Lost, lonely, and unaware of how to change that part of their lives. In a world of inauthentic dating apps and instant gratification, it’s no wonder people are feeling more and more disconnected than ever before. In comes the older and wiser elder with the simplest of advice: Put yourself out there. Meet new people, try something new, and see what happens.

And what happens is non-stop hilarity. For many of the romantic comedies we’re seeing this year. Two things have to be done right. The romance and the comedy. And here, writer Sarah Howard absolutely nails the comedy. The dates themselves are a barrage of red flags from guys not wanting to pay the tab or one who won’t stop talking about his ex, or the guy who moves way too fast and proposes on the first date. There are moments of sheer gut-busting and cringe-inducing laughter. Some of the best moments of the film come from Leah’s interactions with her waiter, Stephen (an A-game Jai Rodriguez) at the restaurant where she goes on all her dates.

Stephen is both a confidant and a representation of the audience as he skillfully dissects what Leah is missing and why her dates don’t work out the way they should. While it is mostly due to her dates just being terrible, there’s also the added fact that she intentionally isn’t actually letting anyone get to know her. There are also the interactions Leah has with her best friend Bianca (Luxy Banner), along with their usual banter, Bianca also has Leah expand her horizons by trying an acrobatics class. Which serves as a symbol of her gaining more strength and confidence and an attempt at overcoming her own personal hurdles.

Speaking of nailing the comedy, the romance is spot on as well. When we settle on Leah’s definitive love interest in Mason (Joel Courtney). Their first meeting in a department store is the kind of awkward comedy you hope for in these films. Everyone plays it straight enough to where you know there were several outtakes just to get it right. But the main win here is the chemistry between the two. Every moment feels earned and the longing and lingering for each other simmers just long enough to make the payoff the most satisfying it could be.

What makes this film so enjoyable is that it feels more like a relic of the past. Despite it being set in our new technological age, it plays like a traditional throwback to the rom coms of years past. Even down to our lead running to her love rather than driving or calling an uber. It’s the film’s subtle way of saying you’ve got to put in the miles yourself if you want it to work. 40 Dates and 40 Nights has that warm, comforting feel of a familiar story you’ve seen countless times but still love watching, on a couch, with a glass of wine, snuggled up in the covers or in the arms of a loved one. The kind of film that used to be in constant rotation on cable and you’d end up watching every time you caught it. Now, it’ll be that hidden gem you find on streaming that you pull out on date night, the 20th one for sure, just in case.

40 Dates and 40 Nights is currently available on Digital platforms courtesy of Brainstorm Media. 

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