28 Days

Maybe you are thinking what I was thinking when I first heard about this movie. "Oh great, they are making a cute movie out of a horrible problem called addiction, and are going to sum up rehab in a darling, romanticized way." I refused to watch it for a long time because of this presumption. Relax, and give the film a try. Although cute in places and using some subtle but great humor, '28 Days' does not romanticize the problem of addiction. What it does manage to show, much to my amazement, is how trite and cheesy 'Recovery' can seem to the addict. The scenes of chanting, serenity prayers, and singing 'Lean On Me' are not portrayed as inspiring or moving, but as irritating customs of the Center. Perhaps portions of the movie go to the far edges of each condition, drunkenness and sobriety, but it does not come across as contrived. People really do these things, and some people really recover from it, and '28 Days' follows Gwen Cummings story, who is an exceptionally "gravitational" personality, easily allowing for a larger than life story. Gwen (Sandra Bullock) is a writer, and along with party-time boyfriend Jasper (Dominic West) show up late and manage to ruin her sister Lily's (Elizabeth Perkins) wedding. After being late, Gwen ruins the mother-in-law's dress, takes a spin on the dance floor and winds out crushing the wedding cake, then steals a limo to drive to a cake store and replace it. Careening down the road, Gwen wrecks the limo into the side of a house. Sentenced to twenty-eight days in rehab or prison, Gwen finds herself at the Serenity Glen Rehabilitation Center. Gwen's lifestyle as a New York writer/columnist is not conductive to sobriety, but even Gwen never realized the extent of her reliance on booze and prescription drugs. Not until she breaks the rules of Serenity Glen and her counselor Cornell (played by the amazing Steve Buscemi) arranges to have her sentence continued in prison. Only when Gwen practically leaps from a third story window in an attempt to retrieve the pills from Jasper that she earlier threw away does Gwen realize something is wrong with her. She decides its time to do something for herself, and convinces Cornell to let her stay at Serenity Glen. Gwen must face many aspects of herself that she finds intolerable while sober, while also facing visits from Jasper who doesn't see the point of leaving their old life behind for sobriety. What follows is a touching, and yes, comical romp through Gwen's rehab, but it fits well because Gwen has a tendency to use humor to deflect emotional response. The characters in this movie are outstanding. Sandra Bullock plays Gwen to perfection. Steve Buscemi is amazing as always, Dominic West as fun-boy Jasper is perfect, and look for a ridiculously intriguing performance by Alan Tudyk as Gerhardt, the funniest character in the movie. Gerhardt is an eccentric, over-the-top, emotional, stammering geek, and steals the movie with only a few lines. ("Oh my God, look at my package!" and "I want my foreskin back, no one asked when they took it, they just took it.") Also, at the very end of the movie, check out Gerhardt's T-shirt that he's wearing. Hysterical!! Even through the horrid cheesiness of ridiculous rehab ritual, Gwen manages to make friends. Aside from Gerhardt, there is Daniel (Reni Santoni) the doctor who used to pump his own stomach, Andrea (Azura Skye), Gwen's roommate, a seventeen year old heroin addict who is far wiser than her years, Betty (Margo Martindale) as the crotchety but not humorless receptionist, and Eddie Boone (Viggo Mortenson) a professional baseball player addicted to booze and sex. I was surprised at how well this movie actually turned out, comparing in my opinion to the classics 'Days Of Wine And Roses' and 'Lost Weekend'. Pay special attention to Cornell's speech for the group, where he talks about using whether something happened or nothing happened. While there is good humor in this movie, and it realistically portrays the cheesiness of all those rehab clichés, it still winds out to be a good (though somewhat tragic) story about a good person. Gwen is obviously a loveable personality, both drunk and sober, which makes her choice more realistic than someone who makes a "dramatic change". There is a very funny scene where Gwen uses her talents as a writer to create an impromptu play based on Andrea's favorite soap opera, Santa Cruz. The clips of this soap opera are so over the top that you will laugh your hinder off at them. Great acting, fantastic characterizations, good photography, a healthy dose of realism, a great script, and insightfully surreal flashbacks made this movie much better than it should have been. Oh, and it made me thirsty (he he he). Definitely a 'buy', but I always recommend rent first. Enjoy!

I used it for a viewing party at an AA group. It was a fun event and everyone liked the movie.

Great movie

I find that in recovery movies, some parts are dead on and others are off (from my experience). Sandra Bullock really shines, you can see and feel her shift from a practicing drunk to recovery. The 'kumbaya' stuff turned me off a little. I understand the lack of mention of a higher power - this can be a sticking point for some. It was obvious by the end that Sandra's character used the group as her higher power and that is, of course, a suggestion in the 12 and 12. The only part I disagreed with was her eventual talk with her sister. I would've liked to see something that more closely resembled a 9th step from Sandra rather than her sister taking responsibility. This is counter-program. Aside from that though, this movie provides hope and many tender, poignant moments. I also really liked it when she had the courage to leave her boyfriend and the advice in the movie about relationships: get a plant, if it lives for a year, get a pet. If the pet lives for a year, you can consider a relationship. Great advice, if hard to take. It's a simple program, folks! If you don't like it, we'll gladly refund your misery.

I watched this movie for a college class on group therapy. Thinking it might be boring but trying to stay open minded I watched it. This is an excellent movie, it has humor, believable real-life situations, and drama. This movie really takes an up-close personal look at 28 days of rehabilitation in a way that changes one's perspective. This is a must see for anyone who enjoys a good movie and highly recommended for those individuals taking Psychology courses, Chemical Dependency Courses, or any group therapy related courses. Glad to find it here I checked other movie accounts that I have and only Amazon had this available. Thank You Amazon!!

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.

We used this movie in our rehab center to show the ups and downs of substance use and the positive effects of going to rehab.

I'd been recommended this and expected it to be melodramatic slush in the vein of when a man loves a woman , it was much better. Not too sentimental, fun but also subtlety thought provoking. I'd recommend it to anyone. Also the delivery was exceptional

D'abord je tiens à déclarer que le produit reçu est d'excellente qualité; le film m'avait beaucoup plu et je l'avais enregistré sur VHS, je peux dorénavant me séparer des cassettes ainsi faites en retrouvant la plupart des films que j'aime sur votre site, merci. Le scénario de 28 jours m'a bien amusée, et émue aussi, la rédemption de tous ces gens fait plaisir à voir, il y a pas mal d'humour et d'humanité dans ce film, et les acteurs sont formidables: bref, un petit succés sans prétention mais efficace!

DVD was in great condition.

Una de las mejores películas de Sandra Bullock. Buenísimo ejemplo de superación a uno mismo, no aburre en ningún momento. Excelentes actuaciones. Totalmente recomendada.

This must be one Sandra Bullock's best film roles. It begins in a very hillarious way. She plays Gwen Cummings, a writer and fun loving, drinking, party and pill-popping clubber, with her English boy friend Jasper, played by Dominic West, and a boistrous group of friends. They drink in the taxi, in the locomotive bar, and devastate her sister Lily's wedding, with Gwen finally falling all over the Wedding cake. This is all done in fine style with Sandra Bullock funny, sexy, and beautiful all at the same time. Is this going to be a film about one drunken excess upon another? No, after trying to shop for a new cake and crashing the Wedding Limo, Gwen is sentenced to 28 Days at a lakeside Rehab Centre. The film takes on a serious undertone, exploring some of the characters in the centre, and in spite of Jasper's disruptive visits, and his proposal of marriage, Gwen finally accepts the therapy and the chance to 'dry herself out' and leave her old lifestyle. With help of counsellor Cornell (Steve Buscemi) she realises that she has the natural ability to help other people through their difficulties even after her 28 Days are over. All the characters have an ammusing side, and there is a spoof Soap Opera 'Santa Cruz' within the film that the inmates watch. In the Illuminating Special Features there are interviews with all the cast and crew, and Director Betty Thomas. There are even instructions on how to make a 'gum wrapper' paper chain, which Gwen makes to ease her frustrations in rehab. They are allowed sweets and gum to stave off their cravings for other substances, as well as Horse therepy. There is a choice of 17 different language subtitles, and a fast moving soundtack by Richard Gibbs. Very deservingly, Sandra Bullock was the highest paid American Actress of 2010.