Sandra Bullock conquers alcoholism (not to mention ropes courses) in '28 Days'

Many people will see "28 Days" because they expect to see the same Sandra Bullock — goofy but loveable — whom they have seen in films ranging from "Speed" to "While You Were Sleeping." These viewers will not be disappointed. Even in a film about rehab and addiction, Bullock glows with playful vivacity, and her energy and charisma differ little from the bouncy, romantic girl-next-door we have come to know and love.

However, "28 Days" brings something a little different to Bullock's resume — acting. While her sincerity and sensitivity have been utilized in mediocre films such as "Hope Floats," "28 Days" has a great advantage as a vehicle for Bullock's legitimate talent — it is smart and well-written.

Moreover, it is a movie made by women. Surprisingly, "28 Days" does not herald the fact that its production team is mostly female. Its subject matter relates to men as well as women, and the male supporting cast is strong, including Steve Buscemi in an uncharacteristic role as Cornell, a former addict-turned-counselor at the center.

Not only is the screenwriter "Party of Five" writer and producer Susannah Grant ("Ever After"), but the movie is also directed by a woman, Betty Thomas, whose earlier films — "Private Parts" and "The Brady Bunch Movie" — have been less than brilliant, but whose cinematic and comedic savvy come through with a punch in "28 Days." The number of Hollywood blockbusters directed by women that come out each year could be counted on one hand. This one is worth seeing.

That said, the film is predictable and wrenching in the age-old way that rehab movies are. One character — preferably a loveable one — has to die in order for the heroine, Gwen (Bullock), to realize how frightening and devastating addiction can be and to make a renewed commitment to her own survival.

The love interest (Viggo Mortensen), a former baseball star with an alcohol and sex problem — imagine that! — comes to the rescue several times and reveals that behind his rough-and-tumble exterior is a sensitive soul.

The whole eccentric gang at the rehab clinic becomes friends, with none of that dark "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" sense of loss, oppression and futility. When the character who falls off the wagon when he leaves rehab returns to the clinic, the audience almost wants to applaud because rehab is such a comforting place. It seems like the perfect setting for a sitcom.

What is original about this film is both its treatment of alcoholism and the intelligence of its dialogue. For the most part, the movie avoids preaching to its audience. The film even contains a somewhat intelligent and cogent argument for drinking and drug use articulated by one of the film's most appealing characters, Gwen's bad-boy British boyfriend Jasper, played with charisma by Dominic West ("A Midsummer Night's Dream").

The opening shots of Gwen partying are filmed in a way that mimics the dizzying sense of intoxication. These shots are creative and effective. They beautifully avoid the trap of making Gwen's partying look like an MTV music video and glorifying the gorgeous Bullock's "glamourous" lifestyle.

Without creating a falsely dramatic sense of what alcoholism is like for this generation — see "When a Man Loves a Woman" — Thomas boldly shows the kind of binge drinking and partying lifestyle that can destroy a person's life. This threat is not a joke for our generation, and by avoiding preaching, "28 Days" gets to the heart of this issue.

Better still, alcoholism is not a looming neon sign over the events of the film. Rather, addiction is revealed through the action, not through preaching or labeling. Thomas reveals Bullock's fuzzy memories of her own drunken experiences through well-timed flashbacks.

The omnipresence of alcohol in our culture is signalled by well-placed advertisements and signs saying "Cold Beer" or "Bar." The audience gradually becomes sensitive to the problem through both Gwen's drunken behavior — that culminates in a funny but excruciating scene in which she destroys her sister Lily's wedding — and because of the realization that in another movie, Gwen's walk-on-the-wild-side kind of lifestyle would be treated as "cool."

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Bullock's sensitive and subtle performance is strongly supported, if not created, by the knockout screenplay. Within a conventional framework, Grant manages to create wit, individuality and bittersweet reflection. Gwen is a well-rounded character, and equal weight is given to her sense of humor and her pain. The idiosyncrasies of rehab life also surface in Grant's screenplay and add to the film's comic side.

Grant also maintains her ironic sensibility within the world of rehab. The chants and "feeling" words and "equine therapy" are all mocked, even as Grant clearly supports the healing function of the rehab clinic and illustrates what a huge difference this experience makes in Gwen's life.

Gwen's adjustment — or ill-adjustment — to rehab life is funny, mainly because she is so sassy and smart and a city girl out of place in this rural village of dysfunction. Soon, however, Gwen realizes that dysfunction lies at the very heart of her life. Beautifully, if predictably, within the 28 days she spends at the clinic, she finds the strength to get help and move on.