28 Days (2000)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Betty Thomas

Writer (WGA):

Susannah Grant (written by)

Release Date:

14 April 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Wedding | Car Accident | Drug Addiction | Intoxication | Alcoholic Mother

Cast

Sandra Bullock	...	Gwen Cummings
Viggo Mortensen	...	Eddie Boone
Dominic West	...	Jasper
Elizabeth Perkins	...	Lily Cummings
Azura Skye	...	Andrea
Steve Buscemi	...	Cornell Shaw
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

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Malaysia:U | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:12 | USA:PG-13 (Certificate #36735) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Iceland:L | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Asheville, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Alan Tudyk's character fork testimonial was totally improvised by Alan.

Goofs:

Continuity: While everyone is performing "Santa Booze" Garhardt's bed covers jump from smooth to rumpled and his air tube disappears.

Quotes:

Betty: [announcing over PA system] Tonight's lecture: "What's wrong with celebrating sobriety by getting drunk?"

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: 28 Days (#7.5)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Joy To The World

"What's wrong with celebrating your sobriety by getting drunk?"

That quote in my summary is just one of several 'background' announcements running through the movie. This is a drama which has many fine comedic moments. Sandra Bullock plays the main character whose life is filled with booze and pills, and whose sister says at the wedding, "You make it impossible for anyone to love you." Drunk, and driving the limo to get a cake to replace the one she and her boyfriend wrecked, she wrecks into a house. The judge sentenced her to 28 days in jail, or 28 days in rehab.

Rehab is difficult, because of the sobriety. Steve Buscemi plays a straight role as her therapist. The strange agglomeration of characters in her therapy group are reminiscent of "One Flew Over". Viggo Mortensen is a major league pitcher who can't remember what he did last night. Any last night.

This is a good, tender film that addresses a big problem for many people - relying on booze and/or drugs and still believing they can live a normal life. It is by no means a perfect film, nor will it stand the test of time, but I found it very entertaining and meaningful, and rate it a solid "7" of 10.

The DVD picture and sound are fine, but in no way outstanding. The extras are primarily a "making of" HBO special, plus the actual soap opera "Santa Cruz" which was made especially for this film, and has a recurring presence in it.