Release Date – 6th February 2026, Cert – TBC, Run-time – 1 hour 30 minutes, Director – Julia Jackman
Noblewoman Cherry (Maika Monroe) is given 101 days to conceive a child, however her husband (Amir El-Masry) keeps rejecting her, with friend Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine) betting that he can seduce her in that time. But, could the stories of maid Hero (Emma Corrin) grow a strength and independence in Cherry?
100 Nights Of Hero is a family fantasy for grown-ups that kids can watch. Throughout the sets, costumes and humour consistently reminded me of The Princess Bride as Emma Corrin’s Hero rolls her eyes at the world and characters around her, much of which she largely sidesteps as she calmly and confidently continues forward with her plan, reacting in the moment seems to be all part of it.
Nicholas Galitzine’s Manfred has 100-days to seduce noblewoman Cherry (Maika Monroe) – “beautiful, obedient, good at chess and falconry.” Her husband Jerome (Amir El-Masry) has been given 101 to conceive a child with her, and so flees ‘on business’ for 100, after having turned her down every night in the months beforehand, taking Manfred’s bet that he can seduce her. However, Hero starts to piece things together and for many nights, and days, tells stories of women telling and discovering stories, against the rule of the men around them, and the strength and confidence that comes with them. Perhaps inspiring something within Cherry.
But, Manfred isn’t going to back down quietly, adamant to show how much of a man he is – the kind who gets up each morning, goes for a run, kills a deer and drags it back; abs covered in sweat and blood) all as part of a rugged routine. However, Cherry often seems to be talking and listening to Hero, undistracted by Manfred’s often arrogant attempts at seduction. While bringing in the aforementioned thoughts of The Princess Bride such moments, and indeed the stories that are told by Hero, have the feeling of a children’s fantasy storybook having been opened up. The film itself, written and directed by Julia Jackman, is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Isabel Greenberg.
This is a fantasy that’s aware of its fantasy elements and has fun with them, bringing in some self-aware humour which is captured in Corrin’s reactions to the world around their character, often acting as our lens into the upfront events, and especially those that Hero tells of in her stories. There’s plenty of humour to be found throughout, including a number of laugh-out-loud moments in running jokes, such as the masked guards in the expansive home who feel like they’ve been pulled from 2015’s Bill. There’s a silliness to certain elements, those which are viewed as particularly ridiculous in how forceful they are in putting across a persona, or simply being brought down a peg, by the titular character, but Jackman never makes the film as a whole feel silly.
Hero’s stories start to, very gradually, light something within Cherry. And their relationship starts to be looked at more as the tally of days passed sprawls more across the screen as the return of Jerome nears. It might take some time for these elements to come together and properly click among what else the film is exploring, particularly in terms of tone which you can feel the more serious moments for the characters trying their best not to rub up or clash against, but it’s not enough to diminish the entertainment factor. Much of which is brought about by the combined design, style and humour of this storybook family fantasy.
A grown-up fantasy that still works for kids, 100 Nights Of Hero has plenty of Princess Bride-esque humour to see it through while it builds up the more serious character beats in its enjoyable, frequently funny storybook world.
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