28 DAYS (2000) by JOHN SYLVA, associate of OFCS (www.ofcs.org)
Rating: A-
Consider it for a moment. Think about having to give up your hobby or passion for 28 straight days. Whether it is smoking, gambling, a loved one, or in my case the internet- How could you possibly survive those grueling days without it? Every ordinary American has an addiction, and Gwen Cummings, an ordinary American, has an addiction, and for her that addiction is alcohol and pain pills. After a troubling turn of events, Gwen will be admitted to a rehabilitation center for 28 days, not able to have an ounce of alcohol, or even one her pain pills that she so loves. As the film progresses, we see her learn and grow as a person, as she realizes that her lifestyle is no way to live. The plot sounds schmaltzy and shallow, but the Betty Thomas flick "28 Days" brings the pain that Gwen (Sandra Bullock) must live through into a touching reality, in a way that is both humorous yet dramatic, powerful yet light.
Gwen Cummings is a character of charisma, tragedy, and self centeredness; What one would consider the life of the party. That is, before she gets a life. After making a scene (not to mention ruining it as well) at her sister's wedding, followed by a house/car accident, Gwen is admitted to the Serenity Glen rehabilitation center, where every night and day is filled with plenty of soberness, chants, prayers, and "Lean on Me." Gwen slowly comes to the realization that she needs to grow up and give up what has made a complete mess of her life, alcohol. Along the way, Gwen befriends a number of other patients, including her coke addict roommate Andrea (Azura Skye), and clean cut baseball player Eddie Boone (Viggo Mortenson), whom she grows a deep affection for.
"28 Days" bends between a fine line of comedy and drama it's entire 103 minute running time, presenting both the comedic and dramatic elements of alcoholism and ultimately overcoming it. The latter is shown mostly through effective flashbacks, showing Gwen's mother's problems with alcohol that resulted in her death, and the comedic element brought through the rehab center's obsession with the campy soap opera "Santa Cruz." The pacing is perfect, with everything meshing together nicely, thanks to Susannah Grant's superb screenplay.
Almost everything is shining brightly in "28 Days," but nothing is shining half as bright as Sandra Bullock. Bullock digs herself out of a hole that she was in as a result of films such as 1998's horrid "Practical Magic" and 1999's mediocre "Forces of Nature." Bullock is realistic and touching as her troubled character, fulfilling her character's hardships as an alcoholic flawlessly.
"28 Days" is a film that doesn't delve deep into the psychological aspects of addiction, instead it just focuses on the lighter human aspects, ones that any human being can relate to and understand with ease. At one point, we see Gwen at a stage so horrible that she is shaking, her face pale as ghost; She's at a stage of total hazard. Scenes like this in "28 Days" make it easy to relate to, although we never completely understand all of the elements of Gwen's life or her background, or how her mind works, but the point is that we don't need to. Because the film is so effortless and light, anyone can sit down and relate to her character's life. "28 Days" has its flaws, but if you can look past the fact that the story has been done before, and that it's not necessarily the best thing since sliced bread, you'll find yourself a nice little slice of life.
The Bottom Line: Bullock gives an amazing performance in a simple, touching film. A treasure.
Film reviewed April 16th, 2000.
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews