28 Days
D: Betty Thomas (2000); with Sandra Bullock, Viggo Mortensen, Steve Buscemi, Dominic West, Diane Ladd, Elizabeth Perkins. It’s another one of those pesky substance abuse films. Bullock plays Gwen, an irresponsible, pill-popping drunk. After ruining her sister’s wedding and getting into a serious car accident, she’s sentenced to rehab as opposed to jail. The center she’s assigned to doesn’t seem too bad. It’s a lush colony out in the woods that’s filled with an assortment of colorful addicted characters. She’s resistant of her surroundings, getting into trouble with her counselor (Buscemi, in a conservative role) and finding minor romance with sexaholic, boozing baseball player Eddie (Mortensen, in a natural performance). All the while, Gwen has constant flashbacks to her late alcoholic mother. Bullock’s performance is pretty good, but the film never makes a point. Sure, being a drunk is a bad thing, but, aside from a scene in which Gwen reconciles with her sister (Perkins), the audience cannot relate to the plights of the addicted characters. Although there are enlightening tales of past horrors, it’s difficult to fully grasp each character’s dependency. Bullock does her best with the script and comes across credibly. Unfortunately, the film stumbles and bumbles until a ludicrous conclusion that’s straight out of any “Must-See TV” sitcom.This article appears in November 17 • 2000.