I love Sandra Bullock. I think she’s beautiful and funny and she is one of my favourite actresses. I also think that Viggo Mortensen is H-O-T. I mean, he is one of the people on my ‘list’ (if you have a list, you know what I mean) that I would do anything to just stand next to for five minutes. Maybe that’s why I love the move 28 Days so much. This is the story of a writer who grew up with an alcoholic mother and follows in her footsteps to become the wild party girl, with no real life at all.

Gwen Cummings (Bullock) and boyfriend Jasper (Dominic West- the guy from HBO’s The Wire) are drunken fools. We start out by seeing them partying at a local bar with all of their friends, and going to bed together. They are so tanked that they start a small fire in their apartment. They wake up late and Gwen swigs some booze and slaps on some deodorant and hurries to her sister’s wedding. Her sister Lily (Elizabeth Perkins) expects the least from Gwen at all times and so it doesn’t surprise her to see Gwen show up late to her wedding, and already drunk. At the reception, Gwen and Jasper get sloppy and run into Lily’s wedding cake. Hammered, Gwen takes of with the chauffeur’s limousine and slams into the front wall of someone’s house.

Gwen can face one of two things: jail time or commitment to a 28 day rehabilitation centre. She chooses the latter, although her enthusiasm for the ‘program’ is insincere at first. While in rehab, she has Jasper come and get her for a visiting day and she goes home with him and gets drunk and comes back. Her counselor Cornell Shaw (Steve Buscemi) tells her that she’s going to jail because she broke the rules, and Gwen panics. She decides to give rehab an honest try.

We see Gwen go through classes and learn that booze and pills ‘have got to go.’ We go through a journey with her, as she decides she wants to have a real life without having to be bombed all the time. We see flashbacks of her mother and her horrible, scary childhood where booze was simply always part of the equation. While in rehab she meets professional baseball player Eddie Boone (Viggo Mortensen) and through his attempts at sobriety, she learns that Jasper might not be the right guy for her after all. We see the highs and lows of rehab and get a taste for what it’s like to be struggling for sobriety.

I am always surprised at the ratings this movie gets when I see it on cable. For example, Time Warner Cable usually gives this movie two out of four stars. I am surprised because I think that 28 Days is actually a very good film. Elizabeth Perkins does an outstanding job of playing the sister/relative to Gwen. She gives the audience a great feel for the frustrations one feels when dealing with a person who’s addiction defines him or her. All of the cast who have roles as people in the rehabilitation centre show the humility a person in that position faces, and the humbling effect that rehab has. Dominic West plays the part of the irresponsible drunk/junkie perfectly. I don’t usually enjoy him as an actor, but I will say his accent, along with his quirky personality fit this role to a tee.

The story is really very depressing, but it’s also filled with hope. If you plan on watching this for the first time, I would recommend a box of Kleenex if you are prone to crying during movies. If you know anyone who’s an alcoholic or if you’ve ever been to rehab, this movie portrays the process very vividly, and also draws empathy from the viewer.

Finally, I think Bullock always shows a bit of her ‘real self’ in every role she plays. Her usual sense of humour shines, as well as her ability to portray a ‘real person.’ I think she does a fine job as an actress in 28 Days.

I would highly recommend this movie.

4 stars.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older