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28 Days

28 Days

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $13.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Here's Looking at You, Sandra Bullock
Review: Director Betty Thomas has achieved something rare: A modern movie that tackles a serious issue and emerges with it's tastefulness intact. "28 Days" has the plot of a drama, the soul of a comedy, the feel of a documentary and a fabulous performance by Sandra Bullock that gives each genre a place in the delicate mix of this wonderful movie.

Bullock is Gwen Cummings, an alcoholic, pill popping journalist who is sentenced to spend 28 days in a rehab center she drunkenly steals a limo and crashes it into a house. Leaving behind her boozy British boyfriend Jasper (superbly played by Domonic West), Gwen soon finds the support and understanding of her eccentric and often hilarious new neighbors. There's Eddie (Viggo Mortensen), the washed up baseball player who'll sleep with anyone; Oliver (Mike O'Malley), the wisecracking Park Avenue pot addict; Andrea (Azura Skye), a young woman addicted to drugs and a preposterous soap opera called "Santa Cruz," which she eventually turns everyone on to; and Gerhardt (Alan Tudyk), the wacky German. "28 Days," unlike an "Erin Brokovich" where one star dominates, is an ensemble film that allows a variety of talents to shine. And with a cast of this caliber, sometimes that shine rivals the stars themselves in brightness.

Despite many humorous moments, it's the dramatic aspects of "28 Days" that make it great. When Gwen becomes so desperate for her pills that she jumps out the window to get some she threw away earlier, the obsessiveness and despair of dependency are captured at their most vivid. Then there's her troubled relationship with her sister Lily (sensitively portrayed by Elizabeth Perkins), who can't decide whether she wants to give up on the woman who has never been there for her, or stand by her in the hope that she will reform, risking having her heart broken yet again.

It's because Bullock and screenwriter Susannah Grant have made Gwen such a likable character that these situations have real bite. Sine we can't decide whether we love her or hate her, we keep watching the movie on the edge of our seats, searching for something that will proove to us once and for all what Gwen Cummings is. The movie wisely avoids giving us a straight answer to that and many other questions, allowing the viewer instead to make their own decisions and create their own relationaships with the characters and the things they encounter.

"28 Days" is a triumph for all involved. There's nothing better for a cynical critic like me then proof on the screen that films moving stories with engaging characters are still being made. Perhaps the best news of all is the resurrection of Sandra Bullock's career after three flops in a row. If she continues to show such wise judgement in choosing her projects, this poor man's Julia Roberts may be topping the A-list once again.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Comic, with quite a few moments of drama...
Review: The basic story of the movie is as cheesy as they make them: Gwen (Sandra Bullock) loves going out with her boyfriend, having fun, drinking heavily and using other substances. After ruining her sister's wedding, during which she crashes a car into a house, Gwen is sentenced to 28 days in jail - or in rehab. Now try to remember all the cheesy stuff Hollywood had ever taught us about rehab - and that would probably describe the rest of the film.

So why the 5 starts? Because even with all this gooey cheese, the movie does have a few shining moments. One of the issues that isn't obvious in the first watching is how sheltered the addicts are in the clinic, and how tough it is for them to sometimes deal with the outside world as ex - addicts. There's a scene where a mother has to face her 2 kids in 'family sessions', and she is torn between being their mother who wants to encourage them to speak, and having to deal with her feelings about what they say. Gwen also has a tough decision when she gets back home - whether to rejoin her boyfriend and her old crowd. On another occasion, Eddie, a big baseball star, is glad to have a few minutes' reminder of his previous fame and glory by giving a couple of kids who recognized him an autograph, but is uncomfortable when they ask him where his car is (having arrived in a bus with 'Rehab Center' written all over it). Their dad tries to resolve the situation by shoo - ing them into the car, but causes Eddie even further embarresment...

Overall, this movie is reccomended to people who like Sandra Bullok and the light comedies she usually performs in.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good movie with some strong performances
Review: I liked this one- am finally adding it to my video collection.
Sandra Bullock is a believable drunk who has a very tough time relating to anyone and everyone. Was nice seeing someone who is not overly likeable in movie like this.
Nice performance by a clean cut and hunky Viggo Mortenson livens this up.
For a double downer line up of sobering drama
see Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia in When a Man Loves a Woman.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Okay look at drug and alcohol addiction
Review: The previews, at least the theatrical ones, for 28 Days are misleading. They put the emphasis on its comedic moments. The movie is actually a drama, a cautionary tale about the toll substance abuse has on one young woman. Because the character is rescued before she hits bottom or does anything she will forever regret, the humor has its place here.

Sandra Bullock is Gwen Cummings, a writer who loves to party. She lives with an Englishman named Jasper [Dominic West], who makes the perfect playmate. They drink, they go out to dinner, they drink some more, they go dancing, they go home and drink even more. When they can remember, they pop a few pills to make things even merrier. One night they light some candles to enhance a lovemaking session. In the process they nearly burn their apartment down. Things come to a head when they arrive late and higher than kites at her older sister's wedding. Gwen ruins the special day, then commandeers a limo, wrecks it and winds up in jail. The judge gives her a suspended sentence but orders her to go to a rehab center. Typical of an addict, Gwen minimizes the extent of her problem. She does not think she needs to be in the center because she believes she can give up her habit on her own. She is in for some surprises, not all of them pleasant.

I will admit that Ms. Bullock is not one of my favorite actresses. She's fairly lightweight. I've also never seen much chemistry between her and her costars when she's chosen to do romantic roles. She has her good points. Off screen, she is a great businessperson. In a movie like 28 Days, she is not afraid to be seen looking unglamorous, and this does lend credibility to her performance. She is also wise enough not to try to dominate a picture.

There are two fine supporting actresses. Elizabeth Perkins is convincing as Gwen's sister, who has spent a lifetime rescuing Gwen and is sick of it. Azura Skye is touching as Gwen's young roommate, Andrea, whose problems are quite serious.

The depiction of a rehab center here is a very Hollywood vision. Most of the patients are stereotypes of what addicts are like. Still, 28 Days is a likable movie, and it does provide a message. For more accurate portrayals of drug and alcohol addiction, I would recommend Postcards From the Edge and Girl, Interrupted. Two of the finest films on the subject are much older - The Lost Weekend [1948] and The Days of Wine and Roses [1962].

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Just like every Bullock film, you'll enjoy it
Review: 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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Here's Looking at You, Sandra Bullock
Review: Director Betty Thomas has achieved something rare: A modern movie that tackles a serious issue and emerges with it's tastefulness intact. "28 Days" has the plot of a drama, the soul of a comedy, the feel of a documentary and a fabulous performance by Sandra Bullock that gives each genre a place in the delicate mix of this wonderful movie.

Bullock is Gwen Cummings, an alcoholic, pill popping journalist who is sentenced to spend 28 days in a rehab center she drunkenly steals a limo and crashes it into a house. Leaving behind her boozy British boyfriend Jasper (superbly played by Domonic West), Gwen soon finds the support and understanding of her eccentric and often hilarious new neighbors. There's Eddie (Viggo Mortensen), the washed up baseball player who'll sleep with anyone; Oliver (Mike O'Malley), the wisecracking Park Avenue pot addict; Andrea (Azura Skye), a young woman addicted to drugs and a preposterous soap opera called "Santa Cruz," which she eventually turns everyone on to; and Gerhardt (Alan Tudyk), the wacky German. "28 Days," unlike an "Erin Brokovich" where one star dominates, is an ensemble film that allows a variety of talents to shine. And with a cast of this caliber, sometimes that shine rivals the stars themselves in brightness.

Despite many humorous moments, it's the dramatic aspects of "28 Days" that make it great. When Gwen becomes so desperate for her pills that she jumps out the window to get some she threw away earlier, the obsessiveness and despair of dependency are captured at their most vivid. Then there's her troubled relationship with her sister Lily (sensitively portrayed by Elizabeth Perkins), who can't decide whether she wants to give up on the woman who has never been there for her, or stand by her in the hope that she will reform, risking having her heart broken yet again.

It's because Bullock and screenwriter Susannah Grant have made Gwen such a likable character that these situations have real bite. Sine we can't decide whether we love her or hate her, we keep watching the movie on the edge of our seats, searching for something that will proove to us once and for all what Gwen Cummings is. The movie wisely avoids giving us a straight answer to that and many other questions, allowing the viewer instead to make their own decisions and create their own relationaships with the characters and the things they encounter.

"28 Days" is a triumph for all involved. There's nothing better for a cynical critic like me then proof on the screen that films moving stories with engaging characters are still being made. Perhaps the best news of all is the resurrection of Sandra Bullock's career after three flops in a row. If she continues to show such wise judgement in choosing her projects, this poor man's Julia Roberts may be topping the A-list once again.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Santa Cruz & Gum Wrapper Chains
Review: 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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: 28 days is great
Review: This is a fantastic film!
OK, so I only bought it because Viggo Mortensen features, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Sandra Bullock was fantastic, giving a fantastic performance as Gwen, and Viggo was hot, hot, HOT as Eddie.
This film gives a sometimes lighthearted look at rehab, but the message is touching and the actors performances are great

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Look at my package!
Review: I myself am not a huge fan of Sandra Bullock, but I do respect her a lot more after viewing this film. Like most guys, I was made to watch this for the sake of a woman. I thanked her right after the credits.
Bullock is forced, by court order, to under go detox after a series of bad drunk moments. She tackles a very sensitive subject head on in this film and really shows a side of her talent that is incredible. Of course, she has a superb cast behind her including Steve Buscemi and an always great Viggo Mortensen.
Trust me this is not a "chick flick". It is a funny and touching story that I never would have thought by the title. Pick it up, you can thank me later.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An Unappreciated Movie
Review: Most people haven't seen this movie, which is a shame, since it's one of Sandra Bullock's best movies, and also features Viggo Mortensen (of Lord of the Rings), who is almost unrecognizable, but definitely hot, as baseball player Eddie. The other actors are wonderful too, even the minor characters shine. This movie has some great moments of humor, but also delivers some great life lessons. It's also interesting to see Sandra Bullock do drama, which she pulls off wonderfully. I would highly recommend this film to everybody.


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