If I'm going to review this movie it's only fair that I first profess my love
for Sandra Bullock. Because of her naturalness, openness, candor and
energizing personality, there's little she can't splash light into. She
turns turgid into twinkling; ordinary to original; banal to brilliant. She
could bend me over with laughter by reading the S's in the phone book if she
had a mind to. So, can my review of "28 Days" be relevant for anyone else?
You'll have to decide for yourself since I won't recuse myself. I offered
my confession instead.
Which is not all that inappropriate, considering that confession is therapy
and therapy is what the 28 days is about. Therapy is what the judge offers
her as an alternate sentence to the lock up... for destroying property while
massively drunk. So, 28 days of rehab is Bullock's destiny... if she can
make it all the way, which is very questionable as she attempts to deal with
all the barriers people keep placing in her carefree way.
She's tested, tempted and put to trials. She doesn't at all take to the
medicine dealt out by a very serious and quite good Steve Buscemi as the
counselor in charge. She meets fellow rehabees of all dimensions, including
a baseball player with similar problems. Played by a vigorous Viggo
Mortensen, he becomes to Bullock a view into a different kind of life, a
different one than she had with her boyfriend (Dominic West) who would do
much to lure her back to their previous high life.
This is an "institution" movie, not unlike "Girl, interrupted", not unlike
many another that deals with the treatment of people with mental deficiencies
of one kind or another, some pitiable, some hilarious, some just part of the
wallpaper. Given the life Bullock can breathe into a part, I totally went
with the formula as she bonds with her roommate, comes to terms with her
inner voice, empathises with all and sundry as she attempts to plod back into
a different kind of life than the drunken one she left in the courtroom.
Does she make it? Well I can't say you'll care as much as I did nor for the
same reason but, if you do, you'll enjoy being in Bullock's company in "28
Days".
Rated S for Sandra!
~~ Jules Brenner