28 Days (film)

This article is about the Sandra Bullock movie. For the 2002 horror film, see 28 Days Later. For the band, see 28 Days.
28 Days

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Betty Thomas
Produced by Celia D. Costas
Written by Susannah Grant
Starring Sandra Bullock
Viggo Mortensen
Dominic West
Elizabeth Perkins
Diane Ladd
Steve Buscemi
Music by Richard Gibbs
Cinematography Declan Quinn
Edited by Peter Teschner
Production
company
Columbia Pictures
Tall Tree Productions
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release dates
  • April 14, 2000
Running time
 104 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $43 million[1]
Box office $62,198,945 (Worldwide)

28 Days is a 2000 American comedy-drama film directed by Betty Thomas. Sandra Bullock plays Gwen Cummings, a newspaper columnist obliged to enter rehabilitation for alcoholism. The film costars Viggo Mortensen, Dominic West, Elizabeth Perkins, Steve Buscemi and Diane Ladd.

Synopsis

Gwen Cummings spends her nights in a drunken haze with her boyfriend Jasper. She ruins her sister's wedding by showing up late, delivering a drunken, rambling speech, and knocking over the wedding cake. Intoxicated, Gwen steals a limosine from the reception, tries to locate a cake store, and winds up crashing into a house after losing control of the car. She is given a choice between jail or 28 days in a rehab center. She chooses rehab. However, she is extremely resistant to taking part in any of the treatment programs they have to offer, refusing to admit that she is an alcoholic.

Gwen is introduced to a variety of patients while in treatment: Oliver (a hypersexual cocaine addict), Daniel and Roshanda (alcoholics), and Cornell, the director of the rehab facility (a recovered drug addict and alcoholic). She eventually befriends her roommate, Andrea, a heroin addict who sporadically self-harms.

One night, Gwen tosses her bottle of smuggled painkillers out the window, and in a moment of weakness attempts to climb out her window and retrieve them. She falls, severely spraining her ankle, and is rescued by Eddie, a baseball player and fellow addict. The two become friends.

Jasper proposes to Gwen on one of his visits to the rehab, even bringing champagne to celebrate. Gwen however, with her new-found sobriety, throws the champagne away. Towards the end of her stay, she starts to see her sister and they revisit the memories of their mother who was an alcoholic. Though the tension between them remains bitter, Gwen commits herself to restoring their relationship after Andrea relapses and dies of an overdose. The two sisters reconcile and Gwen leaves treatment. Jasper tries to rekindle their relationship, but makes no attempt to adjust to her needs and abstentions as a recovering addict. Gwen comes to terms with the fact that she and Jasper are too different now, and she starts to see that recovery, though an everyday struggle, might be attainable.

Cast

Reception

A collection of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes show that 31% of critics gave it a positive reviews. The website's consensus states: "Even though 28 Days is tackling a difficult subject, it comes off light and superficial, and maybe even a little preachy."[2]

The film opened at number two at the United States box office making $10,310,672 in its opening weekend in 2,523 screens, behind Rules of Engagement, which was on its second consecutive week at the top spot. The film went on to make $37,035,515 in the U.S. The film made a total of $25,163,430 internationally, bringing its world wide total to $62,198,945.[3]

Music

Singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III, who plays one of the center's patients, contributed four songs to the soundtrack.

References

  1. ↑ "28 Days at Box Office Mojo". Archived from the original on 5 October 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  2. ↑ 28 Days at Rotten Tomatoes
  3. ↑ "Box Office/business for 28 Days (2000)". imdb.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved July 10, 2010.

External links