Touches You

Just what I expected

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Sandra Bullock is Gwen Cummings, a writer with a cute British boyfriend (Dominic West) who seems to be having a great time with life. Arriving late for her sisters wedding she proceeds to get exceptionally smashed, steal a limo and crash into a house while in her underwear and out searching for a cake to replace the one she destroyed. You get the feeling that this isn't a day that's too far out of the ordinary for her. Gwen gets herself a DUI and 28 days in court-ordered rehab or jail time.At first Gwen refuses to confirm to the rules of rehab, much less admit she might actually have a problem. Its only after she breaks her leg trying to escape and slows down enough to listen, participate in group and get to know some of the fellow patients that change occurs.Bullock is always an easy watch, and she does a great job here, helped along by an assortment of interesting fellow re-habbers including Viggo Mortensen, Steve Buscemi, Alan Tudyk and Margo Martindale.Despite the rehab facility coming across a bit like summer camp there is a serious and sad undertone here exposed in flashbacks to Gwen's chaotic childhood with her alcoholic mother - I really enjoyed that aspect but for the most part this is a comedy.I've seen this a few times over the years, its one of those movies that I find myself watching whenever I catch it on TV. 3/28/16

Newspaper writer somehow has the time and energy between assignments to be a booze-swilling, pill-popping, sexually loose ne'er-do-well who is an embarrassment to her prim and proper sister; she enters rehab as an alternative to jail after hijacking a limousine drunk and driving it into someone's house. Lousy star-vehicle for Sandra Bullock, one loaded down with pop tunes to fill the gaps and an initially condescending view of rehabilitation patients as touchy-feely morons prone to singing and easy crying. Director Betty Thomas wants to have it both ways: to cynically view the 12-step system through Sandra's eyes and also show that the system works in order to better Bullock's character. The film is a laughless morass ultimately tailed to its star (designed to show off her many sides, her sass and pathos, etc.), but Sandra Bullock as an actress runs hot and cold. I admired her star-making performance in "Speed", and she was too cute for words in "While You Were Sleeping", but she cannot carry a would-be weighty character study like this alone--and neither Thomas nor screenwriter Susannah Grant provides her with any help. Elizabeth Perkins plays Bullock's sister with a pinched mouth and a glare of disapproval, to show us how pity can evolve into hatred; however, this is hardly a person for Bullock's character to aspire to be. Perkins looks as bad off as her sibling, but with the caveat that she's been groomed with money. * from ****

Last movie I discussed with son before he Huffed after school and got into his car and had a accident. Last movie we watched together. Laughed and discussed what drug abuse does but a 16 year old just does not think life won't stop. But it does. Great performance by Sandra and crew. I knew there was something going on with him and I thought him seeing this in a comedy- drama side he would relate. We loved the movie. The part of rejection, heartache, and love was what parents and teens need to talk about. Life is hard for all and everyone can fall but we can all get up and get back on track. and this movie showed this. One I will never forget.

Unremarkable and cruddy, "28 Days", starts out interestingly until about 20 min into the movie. (MAJOR SPOILER) From about the point where Bullock's character enters into the AA Recovery Retreat program, the movie gets way too cliché and loses focus on the character in exchange for a cliché and poor retread of something like "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest" . The dialog doesn't help trying alternate between poignancy, cussing, and berating, the movie became a chore to watch and I started using fast- forward quite often. A particularly uninteresting and forgettable scene written has the cast of patients spoofing dumb "soap-opera" within a movie actors. This was a pretty bad movie that had some potential but tried to mix poignancy and humor on a 50/50 failing. Bullock at least takes on a varying character from what she usually does. 5/10 and not worth your time.