Rating: 
Summary: Moving, deep, excellent
Review: Sandra Bullock, with a few exceptions, has a tendency to star in movies that don't quite make it. And this is one of them.BUT, I was immediately and strangely moved by the story. Maybe I was just in the right mood at the time. I cannot remotely identify with the situation - alcohol and drug addict confined in rehab - and cannot vouch for the reality of what takes place. But it seemed real, even that I might think and act like her in that situation. Her feelings felt like feelings I have had. To her character, Gwen, the counselors and her fellow addicts in in-patient rehab are weird. I thought so, too. She complains about "romper room philosophy" attempting to address very real, adult struggles. I detested it as well. She thinks her family doesn't understand. They don't. She resents being treated like a child by the employees. I would, too. But if this is an example, addicts need to be treated like adults with childish behaviors. I wondered if such an artificial setting could help an addict overcome a problem that might very well still exist in the "real world." By the end of the movie, Gwen is on a path that can lead to sobriety, almost, it seems, in spite of these weird people and inane platitudes. I'm not even sure what the turning point for her was, and perhaps there was no single turning point. It isn't usually that easy. She has learned to care about the people and care for their struggles, and thus care for her own. She begins to see beyond the simplistic chants into truths about her lovability, capability, and strength. She has turned her back on her destructive past and embraced a sober future that seems possible and desirable. No excuses for addiction are proffered in this film, even though the presumed origin of the character's addiction is presented. It is demonstrated that a person in the same situation did not resort to drugs and alcohol to drift through life. The movie's premise is very simple: one person's handling of her self-destruction and renewal. Kudos and thanks for a great movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Only if you like Sandra Bullock
Review: FUN DVD extras! If you are a big Sandra Bullock fan you're going to see this movie no matter what and you'll like it. This is a tame story about a woman's stay in rehab. It isn't as depressing as you might expect a story about recovery to be, but you don't get too invested in the characters either. It's light-hearted and sends the message that you should take care of yourself and the people you care about. An extra star for the special features on the DVD: diagrams of how to make a gum-wrapper necklace and a number of episodes of a fake soap opera that the characters in the movie watch.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable but Predictable
Review: I liked this movie, I did. Sandra Bullock is radient and fun as a drunk, rotten and grumpy in rehab, and loving and sweet as she starts to "figure it all out." The movie touches on the seriousness of alcoholism, but allows the comedic aspects to shine through. I would have liked to have seen Gwen's (Bullock) transition fleshed out more-- we get flashbacks instead of actual discovery-- and some of the characters are *too* stereotypical. And while the plotlines are wrapped up predictably, I wouldn't have wanted anything to ruin the good feeling I had that everything would be okay for this woman that I had come to like.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and sensitive - Sandra shines again.
Review: Sandra Bullock is known for her roles as a cute and light-hearted but often troubled woman, always having to overcome an obstacle. "28 Days" is another of these films with a role that seems made just for her, and she plays it very well. This is the story of a woman ("Gwen") driven to alcoholism and then drug addiction because of her unstable childhood with a mother who died early from the same addictions, a father who was never there, and a perfect and overacheiving sister she could never live up to. To avoid going to jail, "Gwen", as Sandra's character in the movie is called, has to spend 28 days at a rehabilitation clinic. I only gave this movie four stars because certain aspects of it became annoying to me: the overdramatic depiction of the cheesy rehabiliation clinic and the residents there, the plot's fascination with a fictional soap opera, Santa Cruz, and an underdeveloped and quite irrelevant subplot of a mini-relationship forming between Gwen and a famous baseball player at the clinic. However, the rest of the movie was great. The plot, which one would expect to be hackneyed because of all the movies and books dealing with the subjects of alcoholism, drug addiction, and recovery, is pretty fast-paced and fresh. Sandra acts the part very well, and the struggle of recovery is portrayed fairly well also. I found myself rooting for the characters to beat the odds and finally kick their addictions, and of course for Sandra to turn out all right as well. The subject of this film is a dreary one, but there are humourous parts injected at just the right times to keep it from becoming too heavy and depressing. If you like Sandra Bullock, you will adore her in "28 Days"!
Rating:
Summary: Besides the fluff, very real
Review: I say the fluff of the film is the portrayal of the rehab clinic - there is no rehab clinic like that anywhere that I know of at all. However, the portrayal of the situation and the people, especially the humor AND the seriousness IS realistic. Sandra is a true recovering addict, with the downfalls and the wit.
Rating:
Summary: the bell jar meets girl interrupted
Review: '28 days' has a good mix of humour, song, seriousness and fun which makes it an easier movie to watch than 'girl, interrupted.' like the classic 'the bell jar' and, more recently, 'girl interrupted', '28 days' explores the creative & sensitive mind of women who refuse to live life by any normal rules. as a writer, i am always interested in watching movies about writers, but sandra bullock's creative outlet in this movie is more verbal and physical than written. i would have liked to have seen her character creating something out of the madness that is alcoholism. instead, she's almost a bystander in her treatment program and we watch as she fights herself in a battle against alcohol addiction. the supporting characters are what makes this movie great, including Loudon Wainwright III as the "guitar man." his songs add a deeper, serious touch to this film and are, as always, fabulous. if you're interested in hearing more from Loudon, check out 'career moves' asin:... be sure to see him in concert the next time he visits your city -- you'll laugh and you'll cry. he's the greatest. sandra bullock is luminous in this picture and i quite enjoyed watching it. the flashback scenes to her childhood give more insight into her character than anything else in the film. i will definitely recommend this one to friends.
Rating:
Summary: A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY
Review: 28 DAYS is another entry in this new Hollywood genre : the clinic movie. After a dozen movies, clichés and stereotypes are already there so don't expect the screenplay to be original. You won't learn a thing about the therapies developed in the american rehab centers but you will have a great time with the performance of Sandra Bullock and the whole cast. I also admit that the presence of Steve Buscemi would save any movies from total oblivion. He is silently becoming the best american actor in activity. I also liked a lot director Betty Thomas's sense of humor which was already patent in PRIVATE PARTS. Alan Tudyk's performance as well as the episodes of the soap opera Santa Cruz could be the only reasons to rent 28 DAYS if you're a Bullockphobic. No theatrical trailer, but english subtitles, a commentary and more hilarious episodes of Santa Cruz, definitively my favorite soap. A DVD to rent.
Rating:
Summary: Sandra's great, the movie isn't
Review: Sandra Bullock gives an outstanding performance in this story about alcohol and drug rehabilitation. Unfortunately, the presentation of the story was lacking and it detracted from the film's overall effect. Director Betty Thomas and writer Suzannah Grant (who scored with the screenplay of "Erin Brockovich") can't seem to decide whether they want the film to be a zany comedy or a serious drama. They seem to have been aiming for a bittersweet comedy, but they missed the mark. They trivialized the good dramatic elements of the story with numerous inane scenes, many of which were more ridiculous than funny. The film also suffers from an excess of clichés, some overemphasized to the point of being moronic. It is difficult to take much of the story seriously with all the foolishness that is continually erupting. The result of this directorial miscalculation was that the film was hammered at the box office, with the gross ticket sales failing even to match production costs. That's a pity because a lot of people missed an excellent dramatic performance. Sandra Bullock was a ray of sunshine that burst forth from this otherwise jumbled mess. Sandra simply out-acted and outclassed the entire cast and did a terrific job despite the "nutty institution" approach. This is something of a departure from her accustomed romantic comedy roles. She had a chance to flex her dramatic acting muscles here, portraying a very confused and distraught character. She went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows and handled the full range of emotions beautifully. It was one of the most complete dramatic performances I have seen from her to date. I rated this film a 6/10 on the strength of Bullock's portrayal. Without her, it would have been about a 3/10. If the topic had been treated more seriously, with sensitivity to the nuances of drug rehabilitation rather than having a good laugh at their expense, it would have been far more powerful and effective.
Rating:
Summary: Sandra Bullock Gives a Terrific Performance
Review: Sandra Bullock spends a month in rehab after a drunk driving incident. Surprisingly entertaining and engrossing movie has a lot of laughs (maybe too many for the subject matter) and some great lines. Bullock gives a terrific performance as a bright but troubled writer caught up in a party crowd. Rarely goes for the predictable.
Rating: 
Summary: Hardly new or inspiring.
Review: The biggest accomplishment was being able to skirt the real issues of drug dependence in a film about drug dependence. Just think, that in 28 days you too can become a happy, well adjusted, strong, and clean person! Some of us know better.
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