28 Days

UK Release: 16th June 2000

Watched on DVD: Tuesday 2nd October 2012

Rating: 15

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Runtime: 1hr 43mins

Tagline: The Life of the Party... before she got a life

IMDb Plot Synopsis: After getting into a car accident while drunk on the day of her sister's wedding, Gwen Cummings is given a choice between prison or a rehab center. She chooses rehab, but is extremely resistant to taking part in any of the treatment programs they have to offer, refusing to admit that she has an alcohol addiction. After getting to know some of the other patients, Gwen gradually begins to re-examine her life and see that she does, in fact, have a serious problem. The path to recovery will not be easy, and success will not be guaranteed or even likely, but she is now willing to give it a try.

My Review: Almost 3 weeks later and I’m still not sure how I feel about this film. It started off full of potential with an interesting premise but my interest faded a little as instead Sandra Bullock (fabulous as always) went on a rather painful and emotional journey in rehab. It was inspirational to a point but also full of one too many cliches. Which is why I’m so unsure. It was inspirational to the point of recovering from addiction and being a better person... but then I felt like I’d seen it all before. And done better. One of the few things I really liked about it was Dominic West’s character and his relationship with Bullock and yet he was barely utilised which was disappointing. 

Sandra Bullock was by far the best thing about this film - without her I doubt it would ever have been made! And she does a great job of making it watchable and enjoyable at times..

I suppose what I’m trying to say is it had potential, but was ultimately a self-discovery movie with little originality.

Score: 7/10