Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-19 20:37:01

A Great Film About Overcoming Alcoholism, A Problem That I Do Not Have!!

Great film about overcoming alcoholism. People struggle with alcohol for different reasons, so it's good that such a film exists. This movie reminds me of my family because there's a father-daughter theme (the focus is on girls, not guys in Sandra's characters home) and, if I remember correctly, the sisters bond eventually. Unfortunately we are a bit dysfunctional in this regard, but not everyone. It's a good film about how to recover for people who need to. Great story, great actors, and great acting so I highly recommend it, but it's not family-oriented so viewer discretion is advised.

CHendri887 2012-05-19 01:42:03

This movie doesn't know what it wants to be...

Is it a comedy? Is it a drama? Does anyone in the movie really care? "28Days" had much potential. I see in this movie the potential of movinglyportraying 12-step type program recovery. But it simply does not measureupto this potential. First off, it (the writer, the director, the actors,everyone?) doesn't (don't) know whether they want to treat this wholebusiness of recovery as something to take seriously or just something tomake fun of. True, recovering from addiction doesn't have to be allseriousand there are no doubt many times in recovery when a sense of humor isnecessary, but that is not the kind of thing going on this movie. Thecomedy in "28 Days", in my opinion, works to trivialize the potentialgenuineness of the recovery scenes. An example of this is the shortdocumentary-style interview scenes with some of the characters in recoverywho can't decide whether to open up , make of fun of themselves, or say alot of really illogical things that make them seem shallow andunbelievable.Sandra Bollock's character, Gwen, is the best example of thisschizophrenicportrayal. The flashbacks of her growing up with an alcoholic mother arepowerful, but we never really get to see her confront those feelings in themovie. Instead, we get to see her watch "Santa Cruz." In fact, none ofthecharacters are ever really shown confronting the childhood wounds that gotthem to this place. Therapy sessions are treated shallowly. There's lotsof people violating each other's boundries--people having sex, peoplemakingfun of each other, etc. Maybe the director and writers thought this stuffwas funny, but to me it was just stupid, and worked against the potentialmessage in the movie.Sandra Bollock seems like a strong actress. It confuses me that she wouldchoose a script like this. Perhaps the movie looked different on paper.

Ken Vandenbussche 2012-05-18 10:35:55

Better than I expected (many thanks to Sandra Bullock)

In this film, Sandra Bullock proves (again) to be one of the best actressesof her time. I believe that she's an underrated actress. She should begetting more and better scripts and she should be as famous as other greatactresses such as Michelle Pfeiffer or Cameron Diaz. Sandra Bullock hasalways been very convincing as an actress. Because she plays all of herparts so naturally and emotionally, it's become impossible NOT to like her. And on top of that, she's a very beautiful woman. So even if the film isn'tany good, you can still hold on to that everlasting beauty of hers. Eitherway it's always a pleasure watching a Sandra Bullock-film.But in this case the film isn't bad at all. The storyline is good andalthough this is a drama, there are multiple scenes that are quiteamusing.* POSSIBLE SPOILERS *The story is about a couple (Viggo Mortensen and Sandra Bullock) that isaddicted to just two things: parties and alcohol. They hardly takeresponsibility for their actions and they spoil other people's fun. Thefilm begins with Sandra Bullock who is late for her sister's marriage. Thisis bad, but things get worse - much worse! As drunk and disorderly as theyare, Sandra Bullock ruins the wedding by falling onto the wedding cake. Inorder to make up for her mistakes, she decides to buy a new wedding cake. She takes the limousine and the next moment she's drunk-driving with thepurpose of finding a cake store as soon as possible. But instead of doingthat, she has an accident and destroys the front of a beautiful house. Thisincident is the straw that breaks the camel's back. She has to enter a drugand alcohol rehabilitation centre. At first she's very persistent andannoyed with the rules of the centre, but when Steve Buscemi (who is incharge) threatens to send her to prison she's willing to co-operate. Fromthat moment on, she really tries her best to get a grip on her life and toforget about her alcohol addiction. She's even making new friends at thecentre who'll support her if necessary. Her relationship isn't getting anybetter, because she's changed a great deal and as a result of that she'sbecome a different person - and he is still the same alcoholic. When she'sreleased from the centre, she's determined to live a normal and healthylife. She will no longer live the life of an alcoholic. It's time to takeresponsibility for her actions and to take control of her own life. Becauseher friend is still an alcoholic who's now very dangerous for her (since heintends to bring her back to the ONE life she intends to leave behind) shedecides to leave him; and she doesn't regret it. So, a happy ending afterall.Overall the acting performances are good, but Steve Buscemi and (especially)Sandra Bullock are quite outstanding. This is, I believe, Sandra Bullock'sbest performance so far. The storyline (as mentioned before) is good andvery original too. This film could have easily been just another dark andserious picture based upon true facts. Instead, it's become less dramaticbecause of several amusing scenes and a fine-looking Sandra Bullock. Thespecial camera-effects (used to point out that Sandra Bullock's character isdrunk or feeling nauseous) are quite good.All in all, this is a much better film than I expected and you WILL beentertained for the whole time being (whether you are drunk orsober).

2012-05-17 19:19:46

Very Good...

Well my girlfriend twisted my arm for ever to watch this movie. I finally gave in and I was VERY mich suprised. It was a really nice decent movie, I recommend it. You just might earn some brownie points with your girlfriend.

Schlott 2012-05-16 20:35:07

A weak 'seen-it-before' film, toned down for a 'nice'er audience.

A classic story-line of injury and recovery with all the correct stages ofdenial, rage and emotional instability, finally followed by security andenlightenment. Anything new? This is simple entertainment with littlepointother than the predictable social values concerning addiction andpressure.With a story-line very similar to Girl, Interrupted, this movie takes acompletely different and certainly more flippant approach. It seemsdirectlytargeted to a 'nice' audience and lacks the hard-hitting angle of otherfilms which address drugs such as Trainspotting, possibly for fear itsaudience will not be able to handle anything too 'hard-core'. Movies suchasthis allow us to touch from a distance a world generally looked down upon,coming away undisturbed. We are able to feel morally superior to addictswithout feeling the need to become emotionally involved. As it containsverylittle distressing subject matter, it is an ideal piece of entertainmentforthose who dislike being removed from their comfort zone, whilst having thesurface appearances of a 'poignant' film. With the classic comedy lines,themild romance and Gwen's (Sandra Bullock) quirky rehab. companions, itlightly flings aside the serious topic of alcoholism, and seems todesignedmore to provoke smiles than thoughts, leaving us with an `Aww, how sweet.'attitude.One of the movie's rare highlights had to be the unusual role SteveBuscemiplayed - that of the insightful, no-nonsense counsellor, Cornell. SusannahGrant's script -writing skills were not shining their brightest here, withthe over-done characterisation of Gwen's new-found friends and theoutdatedportrayal of a gay guy, nevertheless both Steve Buscemi and Dominic West(Jasper) rose to the challenge of raising the standard admirably. SandraBullock and Azura Skye did not have to travel far from their traditionalroles to meet the needs of the regretfully undemanding director, BettyThomas. Simply a repackaging and toning down of a very done idea? Indeed,wehave seen this before and are not amused.

Katie 2012-05-16 14:06:30

good ole times at rehab

this movie made me want to either become an alchohalic, or 30 year old woman in viggo mortensons dreams. the man is gorgues, and well do you think he'll be at rehab if i go there? the movie itself has such good content, but a bit unrealistic. so you know, youll never go to rehab with that cool of people, or with celebritys.

2012-05-13 12:19:30

Santa Cruz & Gum Wrapper Chains

Sandra Bullock's character goes to rehab. She hates it at first then sees she should be sober. Its a funny movie thats not very preachy and it has good characters. The dvd has cool features like how to make that gum wrapper chain thing, and actual scenes from Santa Cruz.

Walls Of Jericho 2012-05-13 00:30:03

Uninspired, TV-movie like melodrama

It's time to face facts. There was only one reason this movie was made, andthat was to make Sandra Bullock a "serious" actress. Well, that failed, sothis film is a total bust. "28 Days" does nothing that hasn't already beencovered in numerous TV movies and afterschool specials starring the likesofValeri Bertanelli and Nancy McKeon since the mid-80's. The characters areright out of a high school assembly morality play, featuring a broken downathlete, the depressed teenager, the gay guy, and Miss life of the partyherself, played by Sandra. there are no real surprises, and the only mildshock of the film is deadened by a trial run through earlier in the movie.Other than that, it's paint by numbers plot time. Steve Buscemi attempts tobring some credibility to the proceedings in the thankless role of therehabcounciller, but gets steamrolled by throwing out the same useless bromidesevery actor who plays this role has to run through. Maybe this was anattempt to do for rehab clinics what "Pretty Woman" did for prostitution.I'm just shocked Betty Thomas actually directed this. I've always found herwork to at least have some spice to it, but not here. Then again, what canyou do? America's sweetheart gets drunk and goes to rehab........whoop dedoo.....

Jose E 2012-05-09 07:19:09

Weak and disappointing

I usually like to have a good reason when I go to the cinema, but this timeI didn't have one but Sandra Bullock. Too bad that somebody like her (Whodoes not seem as stupid and irritating as Julia Roberts, for instance)chooses bad acting roles too often. Despite what people can say, Speed isnothing fancy. I do think the only ones involving her deserving to be seenare The Net and While You Were Sleeping.28 Days is pretty worse than anything else she has done before. Not that thestoryline is too promising in advance, but I was hoping for something more.I am so glad that the film only lasts ninety minutes, because otherwisewould be too boring. WARNING - Slight spoilers.Sandra Bullock plays a compulsive boozer that initially refuses to admit sheis, causes some wrecks wherever she happens to pass by, later enters a rehabcenter that seems more a cult's headquarters and eventually kicks herunhealthy habit. This is really all you need to know. Her acting skills arethe only thing that save the movie from being totally expendable.5/10.

michellejenni49 2012-05-08 11:24:20

a great movie!

One of the reasons why this was such a great movie for me, was because ofthe acting. Sandra Bullock did an exceptional job at acting as an alcoholicwriter. Elizabeth Perkins was also great at displaying a frustrated andupset older sister, and Steve Buscemi blew me away with his serious role inthe movie. The actors really made the entire situation quite real to life. Some people cannot figure out whether or not this movie is a comedy ordrama. I'd have to say that it is more of a drama, because it is effectivein delivering a serious point to the audience. The movie does have a fewfunny scenes, but it does not make fun of alcoholism, instead it shows someof the emotional, mental and physical problems that can follow withalcoholism. I even think that this movie could turn out to be aninspirational movie for someone who has perhaps had this kind of problem intheir life.

2012-05-07 05:33:45

Just like every Bullock film, you'll enjoy it

Most of the time, when I go see a Sandra Bullock movie, I say to myself, "I can't believe I'm going to see this." But, the fact is, she's an awesome actress. She makes any movie she's in worth seeing. Examples-- I visit my mother for the holidays a few years ago and she wants to see Miss Congeniality and it turns out I liked it a lot. Go to a friend's house and she wants to watch Hope Floats on TV and I end up glued to the screen. Put any other actress in movies like these and I probably don't like them. 28 Days is no different. I never thought Bullock would be believable as an addict but she portrayed the desperation and regrets of an addict and the struggle an addict faces for hope beautifully. Plus, the supporting characters in the movie were great. Just like every Bullock movie, there's a scene that seems a bit over-stated or goes beyond believability (who would put up with the way Bullock was acting at the wedding?) but I guess they have to do that to quickly advance the plot of the movie. This isn't an academy award winning type of movie but it's entertaining and you get a glimpse into addiction. I thought it was a very special movie but I'm sure most people who see this would end up feeling entertained.

mattkratz 2012-05-06 16:14:31

good, but...

I didn't know what to expect when I went to see this movie, and I stilldon't. Overall, I thought it was an ok film, but it teetered too muchbetween tear-jerking drama and comedy. The film features Sandra Bullock, whois checked into a rehab center headed up by the ubiquitrous Steve Buscemiafter getting drunk and crashing a limo on a front lawn during her sister'swedding. The group scenes are funny, and overall I gave this one a passinggrade.** 1/2 out of ****

Melita 2012-05-05 09:26:39

Great Job by Sandra Bullock

28 Days is well-written, well-acted, touching, and funny. It follows therehab experiences of alcoholic Gwen (Bullock), and while its message on theperils of alcoholism are clear, it is never preachy. At the same time, itis light-hearted and fun. Although somewhat predictable, 28 Days is a surehit.

prschroeder 2012-05-05 03:52:07

Useful to show my health class re: treatment for alcoholism

I teach 9th grade health in Los Angeles and in our unit on mentalhealth we get into addictions, drugs, alcohol, etc. With some readingout of our textbook on 12 Steps and counseling, especially denial, thefilm shows beautifully. We all enjoy the interesting characters, theabundance of humor, and it reinforces the idea that alcoholism is afamily problem. It probably doesn't hurt that Sandra Bullock is quitepopular and is now an Oscar winning address. My 15 year old studentsreally enjoy this film and there is enough content and teachablemoments to stop the DVD and discuss that it's quite useful.As far as just sitting down with a friend to watch it, yes, it'sentertaining enough on it's own without the educational message. Thereare many poignant scenes with Sandra Bullock that it's easy to see whyshe was finally given the award for Best Actress this year. Thecharacter of Gerhardt (Alan Tudyk)is also hilarious and though Iworried about homophobic comments in my class, there were none. Gwen'sroommate Andrea, played by Azura Skye, is also a realistic portrayal ofa 17 year old that lives in fear of leaving rehab and going back to thetemptations and stresses of "real life". Overall a great "dramedy" longbefore they were in vogue as they are today.

csauer 2012-05-02 10:01:02

Buy it you will like it

The first time I saw this I didn't think too much of it. Five stars outof ten. This movie is one of those that must be viewed several times toget all the little ins and outs. Sandra is brilliant in this movie. Sowhat's new. Jasper was way over the top. He over acted so bad it waspathetic. Every one else did a great acting job. Betty the nurse isalways fun to see (practical magic). Gerhart the geek really was greatespecially in the flower shop scene. If you have not seen this movieand you want to view it I suggest you purchase it because as Imentioned before you need to watch it more than once to enjoy itcompletely. You can buy it VHS for about $2.50 at amazon.com. You willbe glad you did.

meeza 2012-05-01 16:09:14

"Water-Downed" Film!

28 Days- That is about how long this film seemed to be. `28 Days' is about aparty girl who gets charged with a DUI and has to stay in a rehab center forguess what- 28 days. Sandra Bullock stars. Even though she has her moments,it did seem that she did most of the film on `speed' and `while she wassleeping.' However, producers should still `pitch her' more roles because ofher exuberant cinematic presence. Maybe it was not entirely Sandra's fault-she was served with a very `water-downed' screenplay and an`absolute-boring' story line. I will also take `shots' at the very lifelessperformances of her co-stars. Especially Viggo Mortensen who portrays thesouthern baseball player drug addict who does not contribute to the film anyof his `southern comfort.' So make sure you don't `hangover' and go watchthis `barf' of a film.** Needs Improvement

gator-35 2012-04-29 07:59:59

Very solid movie; Bullock, Thomas deserve praise

There are a lot of good things about 28 Days, especially from Sandra Bullockand Betty Thomas (Director). Don't be fooled by the advertisers andtrailers, this movie is a drama. There is a little comedy thrown in the mixto keep things light at times (after all, rehab is a depressing subject),but the balance is about 80/20% in favor of drama.Sandra really shines. This movie is all hers and she proves that whilebubbly and energetic may be her niche, she can also be gritty and subtle togreat effect. She's always been a very solid and dependable actress, but shegets to dig deeper here. She could have played this role in so many waysthat would have been easy and predictable, but luckily she gave just theright amount of weight to her character. It's certainly her best actingperformance.Betty Thomas also delivers another strong effort. The pacing and amount ofscene time seem just right. There is very interesting camera work andflashback scenes that work very well. I guess the best thing to say is thatshe made a formula movie (girl bottoms out, girl resists rehab, girl comesto terms and embraces recovery) without boring us with the formula.In short, the best thing about the movie is what it wasn't. It could havebeen so cliched (although there were a couple of unavoidable ones) andpaint-by-numbers. Instead, it was more subtle rather than over the top.There are good performances by all, especially Steven Buscemi who plays hissmall role straight and somber.This film has higher artistic/merit value than it does entertainment value(afterall, how entertaining can a movie about rehab be?). It's a solid 7.

jotix100 2012-04-28 22:08:54

Girl interrupted

Gwen Cummings, a spoiled girl with a drinking habit, is a rude person,just to say the least. She has no redeeming qualities; what's more,because of her careless behavior she derails her own sister's wedding.Gwen arrives late at the ceremony; she is ill prepared to be in thewedding party. She ends up making a mess of the celebration, animportant day for her sister. When she gets caught driving while underthe influence, she is sentenced to 28 days in rehab, something she isnot prepared for.When she enters a rehab clinic, she thinks she is above all the otherinmates. Gwen is in for a rude awakening. Her arrival at theinstitution doesn't go well at all. She thinks she is above all theinmates that are trying to make something out of their lives. Shedoesn't relate to anyone in the place. The exception is her roommateAndrea, with whom she develops a somewhat convivial relationship.The arrival of a baseball player, Eddie Boone, with a substance abuseissue, captures Gwen's attention. As they begin to get closer, her oldboyfriend, Jasper, appears in the scene, spoiling whatever Gwen andEddie had developed in the clinic. The one thing that shatters Gwen isAndrea's suicide attempt. In the end Gwen is able to leave the facilitywith a somewhat new attitude toward life in general. She also finds outJasper is not exactly the man she needs."28 Days" is a comedy that was tailor made for its star. Directed byBetty Thomas, an actress herself, is not an unpleasant movie to sitthrough. We saw it when it first came out, but didn't comment on itthen. On second viewing, it's not as terrible as we once thought. Thescreenplay is by Susannah Grant, who wrote "Erin Brockovich", and themuch better "In Her Shoes". This film follows in many ways the formulaof much of Hollywood pictures and although it begins with a bang, itsoon fizzles after Gwen's settles into the clinic's routine.Sandra Bullock is a good actress who deserves better material. Eventhough she usually does a lot of comedy, we think she is ripe to domore dramatic roles that will suit her better at this stage of hercareer. That said, she does well under Ms. Thomas' direction. She is ariot during the first part of the movie. Viggo Mortensen is totallywasted as the baseball player with a drug problem. He is just notbelievable in this role. Dominic West, an actor that is always good,fares better. Azura Skye has some excellent moments in the film, asdoes Steve Buscemi, in a straight forward role, different from what heusually plays. Diane Ladd, Reni Santoni, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste doa fine supporting job. Unfortunately Alan Tudyk's neurotic Gerhardt isfalse from the start. One would have liked to have seen more of MargoMartindale, who has a small part. She is a wonderful addition to anycast. Ditto for Elizabeth Perkins, totally wasted in the film.

Streetwolf 2012-04-25 11:00:43

An interesting movie

Ever since I saw the superb performance of Viggo Mortensen in Lord of therings, I thought I might as well kill some time before the 2nd part of thatmovie comes out in a few days and watch some other movies that he has madeso my next movie in line was 28 days since Sandra Bullock is a greatactress, who always provides great comedy in so many of hermovies.Summary: Gwen is an alcoholic and on her sister's wedding, which shecompletely destroys, she ends up in a car accident and is sent to rehab for28 days. Upon her arrival she starts off in a bad way by injuring her legwhilst climbing down a tree to get a hold of the bottle of pills she threwout of her window. She gets "rescued" by Eddie Boone, a famous baseball staralso a fellow alcoholic and a womanizer. The two start off a friendship,which starts turning into more, but Eddie's addiction makes Gwen turn awayfrom him. Gwen refuses to acknowledge that sometimes she does need help andthis causes problems between herself and her sister, who shared the samehistory of having an alcoholic mother.The comedy was there I must admit, but the movie had its serious issues aswell with how people dealt with their problems. The cast was great and Istill think Eddie should have punched Gwen's boyfriend Jasper around alittle more. Also i was quite disappointed that Gwen and Eddie didn't end uptogether, but the script can't satisfy everyone now, can it? Viggo Mortensenwas great as Eddie, but he could have had a few more lines in it and itwouldn't hurt if he SPOKE A LITTLE LOUDER. Sandra Bullock was awesome asusual and as for the rest of the cast, they did great too. Steve Buscemi wasthe counselor in the movie, but his talents were wasted, a little morecomedy from him would have been good because I really couldn't stand to seehim so serious so I'd say he was badly cast. My favourite thing about thismovie was the soap opera everyone watched, it was hilarious! I'd give this a7/10

jls1ct 2012-04-24 14:29:20

Great entertainment, despite the naysayers

Why do people feel better if they pan a movie than if they admit they likedit? This movie is just what you'd expect, and a little bit more. Moviesare entertainment, people!! You can't get the full feel of 28 days in rehabby watching a 90+ minute movie!! If you want the real thing, watch adocumentary.I also get a kick out of people commenting on the acting. These self-styledcritics need to remember that, unless they know the actors personally, theycan't know whether or not the actor is being themselves, acting a roletotally different from who they are, etc., etc. Unless an actor totallyruins the picture for you by speaking wooden lines and generally beingentirely out of character, I just have to smile at some of the egotisticalcomments I see written about the talent of others.Ok, I'm off my soapbox. Back to this movie: what you get here is alight-hearted drama with a touch of a love story. Not too much of any ofthe elements, a pretty good balance, in my opinion. I've been in rehab. Most places aren't as nice as this one. So, obviously this was consideredto be an upscale rehab. That explains the characters. In my experience,there is much more anger at forced incarceration, longer periods of denial,and more falling off the wagon. As they said: only about 3 in 10 will makeit. And I think that's optimistic.But I didn't watch this movie to find out the facts of rehab, or to trashit, which seems to be the true goal of a lot of people. I watched it for entertainment. And I was entertained. 8/10