Bailee Madison’s character Leah has a lot on the line when her grandmother offers a challenge she can’t refuse in the upcoming rom-com 40 Dates and 40 Nights.
“You know, I think 40 is a good number,” Leah’s grandmother, played by the iconic Annie Potts, tells her granddaughter in Us Weekly’s exclusive first look at the romantic comedy, which hits theaters on Friday, June 26.
As the women are in the kitchen, Leah licks a spoon and looks at her grandmother with a quizzical expression.
“What? 40? What is happening?” she asks.
Leah’s grandmother then reveals her “idea” and what she plans to offer Leah if she can successfully complete the task.
“You go on 40 days outside your apartment. And if after that you have found a guy who’s totally a keeper, I will pay your rent for a year,” she says.
Leah counters by asking if her grandma could “loan me the money and I’ll pay you back in interest.”
“No, we’re not going to do that,” Potts’ character replies with a chuckle. “You’re gonna have to earn it this time. I’m not bailing you out again. And no doubling up on these guys. And no hanky panky.”
While Leah is confused by the “no hanky panky” rule, her grandmother goes into further detail about the challenge.
“I guarantee you that at the end of 40 days and 40 nights you will have found somebody so special that he will have you running every red light in town just to get a kiss,” she says.
Leah then questions her grandmother with a hypothetical question.
“OK, what happens if I find my true love by date one?” she asks. “Why go on 39 more?”
Her grandmother responds by simply saying that’s “not the deal.”
“You realize I’m only going to be proving to you that men suck,” Leah quips.
Leah’s grandmother ignores her remark and grabs her checkbook. After filling out the amount and showing Leah, she asks if they have a deal.
“Wow,” Leah says when she looks at the amount of money on the table and seemingly considers the bargain.
Grandma picks up on Leah’s hesitation and tells her to “sleep on it.”
“No, yeah I should sleep on it,” Leah says before her grandmother quips, “Otherwise there’s the county fair.”
40 Dates and 40 Nights centers on Leah, a single 20-something who is ready to give up on romance — and men — before her grandmother challenges her to go on 40 dates. With one full year of rent as her reward, Leah decides to give love one last try and finds herself on multiple awkward dinner outings before finding an unexpected spark.
In addition to Madison and Potts, the 40 Dates and 40 Nights cast includes Joel Courtney, Jack Schumacher, Luxy Banner, Eric Nelsen, Jai Rodriguez and more.
40 Dates and 40 Nights hits theaters on Friday, June 26, and will be available on demand Tuesday, June 30.
