28 Days (Special Edition)
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.88 You Save: $6.11 (61%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $1.59 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of 28 Days (Special Edition)
Movie Review: Recovery Lite
Summary: 4 Stars
Addiction is a devastating ailment that destroys lives, relationships, and families. And it's not pretty to look at; for a compelling, yet emotionally draining, look at alcoholism you can really wrap your arms around, check out When A Man Loves A Woman.
Which is why I'm still torn over 28 DAYS. This film addresses addiction, yet often in a comedic, lighthearted way. And I like that. . .to some degree. Yet I often wonder if this approach somehow sterilizes the ominous undertones and consequences of addiction--and the difficulties of recovery. But enough of my own personal dilemma. . .
Sandra Bullock plays (and plays well) a boozing, pill-popping party girl who goes on a binge that lands her in rehab; her journey--from being a rebel in denial to a fragile young woman coping with her fragility--is moving and compelling. Dominic West is exceptional as Bullock's equally out-of-control boyfriend; Elizabeth Perkins also holds up her own as Bullock's older, often judgmental sister. Of the fellow recovering addicts, Viggo Mortensen's character was never fully vetted, while Alan Tudyk as a rather flamboyant (and that's putting it mildly) light-in-the-loafers German is hysterical. Overall a great cast that tackles a dark subject in both dark and light tones; here's hoping the lightheartedness of 28 DAYS doesn't sugarcoat a very serious matter.
--D. Mikels, Author, The Reckoning
Movie Review: 28 stars for Sandra Bullock in 28 DAYS
Summary: 4 Stars
In the hands of an unsympathetic director and an ego-crazed star, "28 Days" could have turned into an uninspired vehicle for award season.In the hands of director Betty Thomas and star Sandra Bullock, "28 Days" is a masterful work of brutal honesty and bittersweet comedy that never loses it's dramatic edge. Bullock plays Gwen Cummings, a party animal like no other. Her wild antics spoil her sister's (Elizabeth Perkins) wedding, not to mention causing a nice family the hassle of rebuilding their front porch.
She is sentenced to 28 days in Serenity Glen, a sort of new wave rehabilitation clinic. The rest of the story should be experienced on screen as we see Gwen struggle from denial to opposition to acceptance and finally to a slow healing. She can't promise us, or herself for that matter, that her recovery will be swift. What she does do is take one day at a time and fight one battle at a time...a lesson that all of us can apply to our every day lives.
Sandra Bullock gives the absolute best performance of her career. She will make you laugh and she will make you cry, but what she does best is make you think and feel even if the thoughts and emotions are unwanted. She is absolutely flawless in this film. Further kudos should go to Betty Thomas for her edgy direction and screenwriter Susannah Grant ("Erin Brockovich") for hitting another one out of the park.
Movie Review: A movie that will provoke a good discussion on addictive behaviors
Summary: 4 Stars
I work with adults, families, and adolescents who have addiction issues. I am always on the lookout for both new and older films who are about addiction that I can show to my clients. "28 Days" is one of those films. It chronicles the life of a alcoholic party girl Gwen (played by SAndra Bullock) and an involuntary trip to rehab that she does not take seriously at first. After she is encouraged to get drunk in rehab by her boyfriend, and nearly gets kicked out of rehab and put into jail, she begins to take what her counselor and her other friends in rehab are telling her about her problems drinking seriously. A death of a friend in rehab really wakes her up, and upon discharge she is intent to make changes in her life and stay sober.
This video is excellent to show to a rehab group who are "on the fence" as to whether or not they have a problem with their drinking and or using drugs (despite the fact to everyone else in their life they obviously are addicted to alcohol and/or drugs). A counselor can process this movie by asking questions such as "How are you like Gwen (the lead character) in "28 DAys?" Who is the enabler in the movie? Why did the clients at the rehab center wear signs? etc. I have found this movie to be very beneficial in producing a discussion of what is problematic, drug addicted behavior compared to social drinking.
Movie Review: Pleasantly surprised
Summary: 4 Stars
Its possible that some of the viewers who were disappointed that the movie wasnt serious enough may have missed the point. You just cant compare it to movies such as When A Man Loves A Woman because 28 Days is a dramatic COMEDY. The director says so herself in the special features. But just because it partly fuctions as so doesnt mean its showing addiction as entertaining. The comedy was to show how sometimes humor can help people get through difficult situations. And it did this without making addiction seem lighthearted. There were numerous scenes in the movie that made it absolutely clear how destructive addiction can be on one's self and those around them, such as the scene where the children are telling their mother how much her using has hurt them. Not to mention portraying the desperation that could cause someone to jump out of a window, ruining a loved one's wedding, relapses, and overdose. A movie that touches on all of these certainly cant be called a fluffy film. But that it can do so and also make you laugh is something special. The only real complaint I can find is that the scenes between Sandra's character and the ball player were a bit contrived, underdeveloped, and didnt always totally connect. But other than that Bullock and the rest of the cast were quite charming in a film balanced well between seriousness and laughter.Movie Review: Successful comic-drama about recovery
Summary: 4 Stars
I don't know if comic-drama is the right term for this film. In watching the special features the point was made, over and over, that this was a comedy. This suprised me because I saw it as a serious treatment of a woman with a real problem. Then I realized that there were a lot of comic moments...hence my use of the term comic-drama.
I think that the director did strike just the right balance between a serious story about alcohol abuse and a relatively light hearted approach to it. It's not heavy like The Days of Wine and Roses or Lost Weekend. Yet it doesn't trivialize the problem either.
Sandra Bullock carries the film. She's very good, showing the full range of cool and callous New Yorker and the vulnerable person underneat the facade. She doesn't strike a wrong note anywhere.
The supporting cast is just as fine. The young woman (sorry, I can't remember her name) who plays Sandra's 19 year old room mate in the rehab center is wonderful. The fellow who plays the German is hilarious. Viggo Mortensen, whom I love, is only in a small part of the film. Unfortunately he didn't quite nail the Southern Red Neck accent, which seriously mars his performance but he looks great.
All in all, this is a well made film that gives a balanced and enjoyable view of a serious subject.