Sandra Bullock takes the cake in 28 Days

The movie 28 Days understands this dilemma well. Sandra Bullock plays Gwen, a sexy and feisty party girl who can always be counted on to put on a show. Along with her boyfriend Jasper, Gwen passes the nights in an alcohol-induced fog. So what if she can't remember what happened the following day? The wild life comes crashing to a sudden end when Gwen ruins the wedding of her sister (Elizabeth Perkins) by knocking over the cake, stealing a limo, and crashing it into the side of a house.

Gwen is court-ordered to spend 28 days in a rehab. Her party persona initially rejects the idea; Gwen's main concern is figuring out how to smuggle some booze or dope onto the premises. On some level, she is also intimidated by the other addicts, including teenage heroin addict Andrea (Azura Blue), drunken baseball player Eddie (Viggo Mortensen), and Oliver (Mike O'Malley) whose addiction to sex seems to be incurable. A near-catastrophic incident, coupled with a threat from her counselor (Steve Buscemi), convinces Gwen that her old life might not be worth returning to. Complicating matters is her growing fondness of the other patients. They may have problems of their own, but she clearly connects with them because of it. When Jasper shows up to spring her from rehab, Gwen is faced with the realization that the man she loves might not actually want her to get better.

One of the key things that makes 28 Days effective is the casting of Sandra Bullock. With her lovable girl-next-door persona, she is not an obvious choice to play an addict. By putting her in the role, the film makes the subtle point that the disease of addiction can strike anyone, regardless of how seemingly well put together they appear. Bullock is known for her skill at romantic comedy, but her attempts to "stretch" dramatically often lead to over-earnestness and boredom (think Hope Floats or In Love and War). It surprised me, then, how good she was as Gwen. The same sparkle that makes the actress so winning in comedies also works to give her a believable dark side. Bullock brings out the character's demons with skill, especially in a gripping confrontation scene with her sister. Despite Gwen's problems, you can feel a life force emanating from within. Bullock is probably one of the few actresses who can really pull this off.

As directed by Betty Thomas, 28 Days balances its drama with some moments of comedy. The mixture might seem off-putting, but then again, humor is one of the great healers. I like how most of the humor comes from the characters rather than the situations. It would be too easy to toss in a bunch of rehab jokes, but the screenplay (by Susanna Grant) keeps it human-centered.

Not everything works. While solid in its portrayal of addiction, the film lacks the power of Clean and Sober or When a Man Loves a Woman (still the penultimate rehab movies). There are also a few subplots that seem overly obvious. For instance, the ultimate fate of one character is telegraphed so far in advance that I sat there waiting for the dreaded event to occur. Why not have a less obvious character meet the same fate instead?

While not the best movie ever made on its subject, 28 Days is nonetheless entertaining and effective. The depiction of rehab life seems authentic, as do the performances. One of the central tenets of Alcoholics Anonymous is that you have to live life "one day at a time." The film - and its main character - understand that; everything could fall apart tomorrow, but that's less likely to happen if you really make today count.

( out of four)

28 Days is rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements involving substance abuse, langauge and some sensuality. The running time is 1 hour and 43 minutes.