(So that’s what re-hab is like… looks an awful lot like Basic Training…)
CAST: Sandra Bullock, Viggo Mortensen, Steve Buscemi, Dominic West, Elizabeth Perkins, Azura Skye, Marianne-Jean Baptiste, Alan Tudyk, Diane Ladd, Reni Santoni, Mike O’Malley.
DIRECTOR: Betty Thomas
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and hilarious rehab-military training parallels straight ahead…
Our last six film reviews have all been Party Flicks - movies that have a party as a centerpiece, or in the background.
PROM NIGHT and THE POOL were horror films about killers crashing the festivities, with deadly results. I LOVE YOU, BETH COOPER dealt with a valedictorian’s “bridge-burning” graduation speech that ironically opens the door to an unforgettable “allnighter” with the girl of his dreams at his side. ONE CRAZY SUMMER explored a wacky summer of partying on the vacation island of Nantucket. FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL followed the trail of a “serial monogamist” over the course of the five titular events as he wrestles with a very scary notion: he’s finally fallen in love - but it may be with someone he may not be able to have. Then we moved on to THE TOWERING INFERNO, which is closer to PROM NIGHT and THE POOL than our other Party Flicks, but substitutes a raging conflagration for a psychotic killer, and a rooftop full of elegant V.I.P.’s instead of sexy students.
And so, we’re on to our last Party Flick. What is more appropriate for a finale than a movie that shows us what happens if you party a little too much? Our next flick is called 28 DAYS and - yes - it’s set in a rehab clinic. I guess if the characters from all of our previous six Party flicks (including the very few who survived in PROM NIGHT and THE POOL) don’t watch the drinking, this is where they could end up.
Anyhow, the plot of 28 DAYS is fairly straightforward: hard-partying newspaper columnist Gwen Cummings (Sandra Bullock) gets a little too schnockered at her sister Lily’s (Elizabeth Perkins) wedding reception and knocks the cake over. Right now you’re probably going: “That’s it? That’s the fucking reason she winds up in re-hab? She should get a medal for that!” Well, I admit that part is pretty brilliant and wonderful.
Unfortunately, Gwen somehow feels the need to replace the cake immediately. Still in a drunken stupor, she steals a limo from the parking lot outside and hightails it for town, looking for a cake store. What she finds instead is someone’s lawn and front porch - as in: she smashes the limo right into them. Should’ve let the wedding guests just serves themselves from the spattered cake on the floor. But whatever. This is what causes Gwen to be sentenced to, ahem, 28 days in rehab. And you thought the screenwriter just pulled that title out of her ass. Sorry to disappoint you.
Long story short, Gwen hits the rehab clinic - and I swear to Christ I felt like I was back in Basic Training again. Basically, the staff are like my drill instructors were, but without the hats, boots, and flamboyant B-movie acting. Meaning the rehab clinic staff don‘t yell “WHAT ARE YOU SMIRKING AT, AIRMAN!?! DO YOU KNOW I COULD BREAK YOUR ASS IN HALF AND ENJOY IT!?!?” at Gwen and the other patients. Oh, and just to help out anyone thinking about joining the military, if your drill instructor yells the above at you, do not make the mistake I did of responding: “SIR, YES, SIR!!! I HAVE NO DOUBT YOU’D ENJOY BREAKING MY ASS IN HALF!!! I’D PROBABLY ENJOY IT, TOO!!! BRING IT!!!!”
Trust me. Your Drill Instructor will not appreciate the sarcasm. I have the scars to prove it.
Anyway, what the rehab clinic staff have in common with drill instructors is basically searching everyone’s belongings for any contraband or anything remotely fun upon arrival. Which doesn’t exactly go over well with our sarcastic rebel Gwen. It doesn’t come as a major surprise that she immediately butts heads not only with the staff but also with her fellow patients. They include, but are not limited to: (1) Eddie Boone (Viggo Mortensen), hot Major League baseball player who’s at the clinic to treat his - love it! - sex addiction; (2) Gerhart (Alan Tudyk), German dude who’s at rehab for… well, I don’t really know but I suspect it might be from talking too much like Dieter for SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE; (3) Andrea (Azura Skye), winsome ingenue who used to shoot up with heroine and now occupies herself watching a cheesy soap called “Santa Cruz”; (4) Oliver (Mike O’Malley), goofy dipshit who is forever macking on anything with breasts - including fat dudes. Okay, I was just kidding about that last part. But you never know with Oliver…
So… will rehab actually work for Gwen? Or will she just revert to her old, booze-swilling, wedding cake-demolishing ways? Will she cooperate with her counselor, Cornell (Steve Buscemi)? Or will she continue to fight the system? What happens when an attraction sparks between her and Eddie? How will Gwen’s bad-boy boyfriend Jasper (Dominic West) react to their connection? Will he beat the shit out of Eddie? Or will Eddie pulverize him? What about Lily? Will she forgive Gwen for the, uh, wedding cake? And the most pressing question on my mind… is rehab really this fun!?!?
Well, if it’s anything like Basic Training, it must be a blast.
BUT, SERIOUSLY: Comedies about serious subject matters are tricky to pull off. On one hand, you want a certain degree of humor. On the other hand, you don’t want to trivialize or minimize something that is obviously difficult for a lot of people. In the case of 28 DAYS, a comedy/drama about surviving rehab, the film works because it successfully negotiates the fine line between taking the air out of its subject matter - but also taking it seriously.
Another reason it works is because of Sandra Bullock’s unique presence. Beautiful, but still relatable. Feisty, but also flexible. Sarcastic, but also sincere. Gwen Cummings is the kind of character that Bullock is perfect for and she makes this woman’s gradual journey from flighty, irresponsible alcoholic to contrite and grounded recovering addict, a rewarding trip - and an entertaining one to watch.
The supporting cast is just as good as Bullock. Steve Buscemi is effective as Cornell, Gwen’s counselor - a former addict himself who uses his past as a way to pave a better future for his patients. Buscemi brings a low-key, humble presence to this film that I haven’t seen from him before. It’s a nice surprise.
Viggo Mortensen is a hit as Bullock’s would-be love interest Eddie. This guys is no saint, otherwise he wouldn’t be at the clinic for sex addiction. What’s interesting about Eddie, though, is the script refuses to pass judgment on him - and effectively shows all the other levels of kindness and decency within him. This reminds us of something that is often obscured by the stigma of addiction: addicts are complex human beings with surprising sides to them. In Eddie’s case, those sides are noble and good. His best scenes are: (1) when he reminds Gwen that the bad things she’s done in the past do not have to define her; and (2) his final scene with her when she’s leaving rehab. Writer Susannah Grant doesn’t go for any easy happy endings for Eddie and Gwen that would be completely false. Rather, she plants the seed that maybe - just maybe - there might be a future together for these two troubled folks.
Dominic West is equally compelling, in a whole other way, as Jasper, the quintessential bad boy who is a toxic influence on Gwen. He’s someone who is only interested in a good time and forever staving off boredom with self-destructive antics. When Eddie tells Gwen that Jasper is “dangerous” for her, we know exactly what he’s talking about. West effectively conveys the character’s seductive charm, but also the hint of coiled menace just beneath that attractive exterior. You can see why Gwen would be drawn to him - but you can also see why she needs to get the hell away from him, as well.
Another strong performance is from Elizabeth Perkins as Gwen’s older sister Lily. Clearly, Lily has been putting up with Gwen’s antics all her life. You can understand her exasperation towards her sister, especially after that disastrous wedding reception. But you also appreciate how she eventually reaches out to Gwen in reconciliation, recognizing that some of her bitterness might come from the fact that she envies Gwen’s brash charisma and magnetic personality. The scene where Lily confesses this to a grief-stricken Gwen is 28 DAYS’ best scene.
Everyone else playing the various staff and patients at the clinic delivers solid performances. The feeling of community created in the rehab clinic helps 28 DAYS’ atmosphere, and makes the experiences of these folks engaging - and affecting - to watch.
28 DAYS may not appeal to everyone because it’s a little too dark for a comedy, but also a little too light for a drama. Those of you, though, that can take your sweetness with a little bitter, and vice versa, will be pleasantly surprised.
