28 Días

I liked it very much because I had a similar experience, so this movie gives me the chance to think about it and about my new life.

What happens in the rehab center match my experience I had in Germany but I must underligne that the change is not so quick as it is showed in the movie. And I'd like to underline that after the therapy in the rehab center one must keep on adopting the new life rules. It is very hard and one must have the courage to want the change but it is worth it. I would like to study the script because I did not understand all the words, in fact I am not English mother tongue. Anyway, this movie is a good help to see what happens to others in the similar situation.

Could anyone suggest me where to find the script on the web?

Thank you in advance

Ciao Marzia

Eleven years after this movie hit the screen, I just viewed it. After seeing pages of reviews, no one will read this, but I will add my 2 cents anyway. I dislike drug rehabilitation movies, abuse movies, and similar themes, but this one captured my interest during each scene. I watched it in the morning while finishing last night's left-over gin that was diluted with water from melted ice from the previous night. I saw myself.

The reason I dislike rehabilitation movies is that I feel like I'm watching someone else's problems, and I don't like entertainment based on someone else's pain. For those who like this type of entertainment, it is excellent. For those who need a life-changing event, it may serve that purpose too.

There are a lot of good things about 28 Days, especially from Sandra Bullock and Betty Thomas (Director). Don't be fooled by the advertisers and trailers, this movie is a drama. There is a little comedy thrown in the mix to keep things light at times (after all, rehab is a depressing subject), but the balance is about 80/20% in favor of drama.

Sandra really shines. This movie is all hers and she proves that while bubbly and energetic may be her niche, she can also be gritty and subtle to great effect. She's always been a very solid and dependable actress, but she gets to dig deeper here. She could have played this role in so many ways that would have been easy and predictable, but luckily she gave just the right amount of weight to her character. It's certainly her best acting performance.

Betty Thomas also delivers another strong effort. The pacing and amount of scene time seem just right. There is very interesting camera work and flashback scenes that work very well. I guess the best thing to say is that she made a formula movie (girl bottoms out, girl resists rehab, girl comes to terms and embraces recovery) without boring us with the formula.

In short, the best thing about the movie is what it wasn't. It could have been so cliched (although there were a couple of unavoidable ones) and paint-by-numbers. Instead, it was more subtle rather than over the top.

There are good performances by all, especially Steven Buscemi who plays his small role straight and somber. This film has higher artistic/merit value than it does entertainment value (afterall, how entertaining can a movie about rehab be?). It's a solid 7.

This film tells the story of a woman who discovers herself while she is in 28 days of compulsory rehab for alcohol misuse.

Even though many characters in the film mess their lives up, they still manage to be likable. I cannot help but be sympathetic and feel for their situation. It is a journey for the characters, and makes viewers reflect on their lives too.

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 stupid.. It is difficult to take much of the story seriously with all the foolishness that is continually erupting. The result of this 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.