“28 Days” doesn’t contain the dramatic impact that, say, “Days of Wine and Roses” did nearly 40 years ago. It is more rehab-lite. Although Ms. Bullock is one of my favorites because she has a vulnerability that even transcends her outward beauty, she lacks the depth to make this character poignant. Her withdrawal consists of one night in the bathroom vomiting and laying her head on the floor. You never feel the struggle that someone who begins her day with a beer and then is suddenly deprived of addictive substances goes through.
Her surrounding characters are so clichéd: there’s the tough head nurse, the week-kneed and limp-wristed guy, the grumpy guy, the handsome guy, the motherly type, and the withdrawn roommate who covers her pain by holding stuffed animals and watching soap operas.
It doesn’t pack a wallop, which is necessary to send an effective message that alcohol and drugs can be very destructive. The sprinkling of occasional profane and obscene language is used to attempt a hard-edge feel, but the film lacks any real emotional kick. The language and occasional sexual activity make it impossible for us at Dove to award our seal to this movie.
