28 Days (2000)

A big-city newspaper columnist is forced to enter a drug and alcohol rehab center after ruining her sister's wedding and crashing a stolen limousine.

Director:

Betty Thomas

Writer:

Susannah Grant

Stars:

Sandra Bullock, Viggo Mortensen, Dominic West

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sandra Bullock	...	Gwen Cummings
Viggo Mortensen	...	Eddie Boone
Dominic West	...	Jasper
Elizabeth Perkins	...	Lily
Azura Skye	...	Andrea
Steve Buscemi	...	Cornell
Alan Tudyk	...	Gerhardt
Mike O'Malley	...	Oliver (as Michael O'Malley)
Marianne Jean-Baptiste	...	Roshanda
Reni Santoni	...	Daniel
Diane Ladd	...	Bobbie Jean
Margo Martindale	...	Betty
Susan Krebs	...	Evelyn
Loudon Wainwright III	...	Guitar Guy
Katie Scharf	...	Young Gwen

Storyline

After getting into a car accident while drunk on the day of her sister's wedding, Gwen Cummings is given a choice between prison or a rehab center. She chooses rehab, but is extremely resistant to taking part in any of the treatment programs they have to offer, refusing to admit that she has an alcohol addiction. After getting to know some of the other patients, Gwen gradually begins to re-examine her life and see that she does, in fact, have a serious problem. The path to recovery will not be easy, and success will not be guaranteed or even likely, but she is now willing to give it a try.

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Plot Keywords:

wedding | car accident | sister sister relationship | speech | world trade center manhattan new york city | 

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Taglines:

The Life of the Party... before she got a life.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements involving substance abuse, language and some sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 April 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

28 días

Filming Locations:

Asheville, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$43,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£127,743 (UK) (16 June 2000)

Gross:

$305,645 (Denmark) (15 September 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Tall Trees Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In real life, Sandra Bullock is allergic to horses.

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Goofs

At the wedding reception, when Gwen and Jasper are dancing, they begin spinning in circles while holding hands. In most of the shots Gwen is holding onto the bow from the back of her dress. But in one shot it magically appears on the back of her dress again.

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Quotes

Cornell: This isn't a way to live. This is a way to die.

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Crazy Credits

After the credits a scene is shown where a new patient is arriving at rehab. The new patient is the actor playing Falcon in the soap Santa Cruz which is the favorite of both Eddie Boone and Andrea. Eddie Boone asks Falcon for an autograph.

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Connections

Referenced in The Critic: Episode #1.7

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Soundtracks

"Carolina in the Morning"
(1922)
Music by Walter Donaldson
Lyrics by Gus Kahn
Performed by Mitch Miller
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Very solid movie; Bullock, Thomas deserve praise

There are a lot of good things about 28 Days, especially from Sandra Bullock and Betty Thomas (Director). Don't be fooled by the advertisers and trailers, this movie is a drama. There is a little comedy thrown in the mix to 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 while bubbly and energetic may be her niche, she can also be gritty and subtle to great effect. She's always been a very solid and dependable actress, but she gets to dig deeper here. She could have played this role in so many ways that would have been easy and predictable, but luckily she gave just the right amount of weight to her character. It's certainly her best acting performance.

Betty Thomas also delivers another strong effort. The pacing and amount of scene time seem just right. There is very interesting camera work and flashback scenes that work very well. I guess the best thing to say is that she made a formula movie (girl bottoms out, girl resists rehab, girl comes to 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 have been so cliched (although there were a couple of unavoidable ones) and paint-by-numbers. Instead, it was more subtle rather than over the top.

There are good performances by all, especially Steven Buscemi who plays his small 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.