| 28 Days | | Cast : | Sandra Bullock | | Director : | Betty Thomas | | Studio : | Columbia/Tristar Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | April 14, 2000 | | DVD Released Date : | June 03, 2003 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | June 16, 2005 | | Summary | great | Content
 | I watched this movie and Clean and Sober the same evening. What a difference. This movie was excellent and realistic.
The characters portrayed in this film were interesting. We learned a lot in a short amount of time. We SAW the characters getting healthier, learning to live, learning to live without drugs and alcohol. . . .they grew right in front of us (unlike in Clean and Sober).
Sandra Bullock played Gwen perfectly. Elizabeth Perkins, in a smaller role, played her sister just as perfectly. The viewer gets to see both of them heal. . . although Elizabeth Perkins' character isn't alcoholic, her life is also a struggle, and their closure is believable and warm.
Gwen has tough choices to make, and the ending is upbeat and positive, but absolutely credible. We see her preparing for these choices throughout the movie. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 08, 2005 | | Summary | Finally... | Content
| A script so good that even Sandra Bullock's annoying presence can't mess it up. There are still some typical "Sandra" moments, but for the most part in this movie, you forget you are watching her, and it's a great film. This is a comedy.
I have this DVD and watched it with commentary. I must say the director came off like a complete ass, but maybe she had a bad day. There are other cute features, like instructions on how to make a gum-wrapper chain like Sandra makes in the movie.
Basic storyline:
Gwen is a party girl who gets busted for a DUI. She is sentenced to rehab. At first she thinks rehab is whack and cheesy. She doesnt participate with the others, and has her party-boy boyfriend sneak her drugs. But then she starts to think she really may have a problem. Will Gwen straighten up, or continue with her partying ways? Will she accept the proposal of her drunk-druggie boyfriend?
This movie is above all a comedy. The addicts will make you laugh, Gwen's reaction to them will make you laugh. Steve Buschemi plays a rehab counselor, and while he isn't funny in this role, he is interesting.
There are a few sub-plots. Gwen's rehab roomie is a teenage heroin addict. Also, a major-league pitcher (sex addict, druggie) comes to rehab and bonds with Gwen. These arent too detracting from Gwen and in fact it would be boring if the whole movie was just about her.
I don't think this movie did so well, and that's why you can get the DVD for cheap. If you have ever had a drug or alcohol problem, this movie will seem a lot funnier to you, than to someone who has never been into any of that.
I guess the bottom line is that people should not just brush this off as a "Sandra Bullock movie". I have seen a lot of her movies and this is definitely the best. It isn't brainless comedy. It isn't genius either, but it is definitely enjoyable and I think worth a purchase.
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| Rating | | | Date | May 21, 2005 | | Summary | Sandra As An Alcoholic Vicodin Addict? You Gotta Be Kidding! | Content
| Watching this movie calls for an "Immense Suspension Of Disbelief " on the part of the viewer from the outset. Gwen , played by Sandra Bullock and her boyfriend Jasper wake up smiling and happy after last night's drinking binge. This DOES NOT HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE!!!After a serious drinking binge most people wake up dehydrated with the sweats and the shakes. All that happens here is that Jasper and Gwen are late for her sister's weding. Then Gwen crashes a limousene and is promptly despatched to 28 days in Rehab.The only beliveable lines in this movie is where Gwen gets tired about hearing about taking life "One Day At A Time" and informs the Head Counsellor that she is sick of his "Romper Room Bullstuff" and then calls him a "12 Stepping Geek" which one gets the impression that she may be right for once.I give this movue 5 stars for the excellent performance of Viggo Mortensen who plays a professional baseballer with a bad drug problem. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 10, 2005 | | Summary | Pleasantly surprised | Content
| Its possible that some of the viewers who were disappointed that the movie wasnt serious enough may have missed the point. You just cant compare it to movies such as When A Man Loves A Woman because 28 Days is a dramatic COMEDY. The director says so herself in the special features. But just because it partly fuctions as so doesnt mean its showing addiction as entertaining. The comedy was to show how sometimes humor can help people get through difficult situations. And it did this without making addiction seem lighthearted. There were numerous scenes in the movie that made it absolutely clear how destructive addiction can be on one's self and those around them, such as the scene where the children are telling their mother how much her using has hurt them. Not to mention portraying the desperation that could cause someone to jump out of a window, ruining a loved one's wedding, relapses, and overdose. A movie that touches on all of these certainly cant be called a fluffy film. But that it can do so and also make you laugh is something special. The only real complaint I can find is that the scenes between Sandra's character and the ball player were a bit contrived, underdeveloped, and didnt always totally connect. But other than that Bullock and the rest of the cast were quite charming in a film balanced well between seriousness and laughter. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 22, 2005 | | Summary | A little light but still meaningful | Content
| Some movies are just fluff, while some can change lives. 28 Days falls solidly into the second category, although it is by no means it is a documentary. It is a light Hollywood treatment of a serious topic. You can take the point of view that at least maybe people who ARE addicted will see it without realizing the full import up front, and realize they need help.
We begin with Sandra Bullock's character, who is a New York lady living the high life with her boyfriend. After a night of heavy drinking, she wakes up late for her older sister's wedding. She completely destroys the wedding, crashes the wedding limo and ends up in rehab.
You get the typical transition from surly, angry newcomer to understanding, coping recovery person - learning more about her past and the characters around her along the way. Situations are extremely two dimensional and oversimplified, but to be fair, the movie only has so many minutes in which to tell the story. There are the traditional set-backs and problems, and small victories.
So where is Viggo, the 2nd billing, in all of this? If you're a Viggo fan, you spend about half the movie waiting for him. He eventually shows up as a baseball pitcher tossed into rehab to fix his drugs-and-girls habit. He's got southern charm and a laid back personality, as always. And yes, there are horses. It seems Viggo likes to be in horse-movies. In this case, the horse is one of the key "characters" - it symbolizes Sandra's ability to finally let things go and trust in life.
It's actually suprising that Viggo got second billing here. He doesn't have many lines, and he isn't even a 'romantic partner' for Sandra. In fact he is quite innocent when Sandra's boyfriend accuses Viggo of stepping into the situation. Viggo does deliver the final message to her as she leaves rehab, though - to learn how to forgive, and to cut her boyfriend loose in order to face a new world alcohol-free. Sure enough, it turns out her boyfriend is trying to drag her right into the same world, and she does better to go it alone.
The scenes with Viggo were a little contrived, but they had their own charm. Viggo had his low key country charm, but punched Sandra's boyfriend pretty quickly when things got rough. He showed Sandra how to pitch, and had her throw the ball with her eyes closed, to teach her trust. On the other hand, he was literally caught with his pants down, showing that he hadn't quite given up the sleeping around yet.
The only thing missing here in the "Viggo Standards" was another language - Viggo only gets to speak "southern American" in this film!
Interestingly, this was Viggo's last movie before the Lord of the Rings series. So he went from a very understated role, to one which made him world famous. |
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