Bullock is Gwen Cummings, an alcoholic, pill popping journalist who is sentenced to spend 28 days in a rehab center she drunkenly steals a limo and crashes it into a house. Leaving behind her boozy British boyfriend Jasper (superbly played by Domonic West), Gwen soon finds the support and understanding of her eccentric and often hilarious new neighbors. There's Eddie (Viggo Mortensen), the washed up baseball player who'll sleep with anyone; Oliver (Mike O'Malley), the wisecracking Park Avenue pot addict; Andrea (Azura Skye), a young woman addicted to drugs and a preposterous soap opera called "Santa Cruz," which she eventually turns everyone on to; and Gerhardt (Alan Tudyk), the wacky German. "28 Days," unlike an "Erin Brokovich" where one star dominates, is an ensemble film that allows a variety of talents to shine. And with a cast of this caliber, sometimes that shine rivals the stars themselves in brightness.

Despite many humorous moments, it's the dramatic aspects of "28 Days" that make it great. When Gwen becomes so desperate for her pills that she jumps out the window to get some she threw away earlier, the obsessiveness and despair of dependency are captured at their most vivid. Then there's her troubled relationship with her sister Lily (sensitively portrayed by Elizabeth Perkins), who can't decide whether she wants to give up on the woman who has never been there for her, or stand by her in the hope that she will reform, risking having her heart broken yet again.

It's because Bullock and screenwriter Susannah Grant have made Gwen such a likable character that these situations have real bite. Sine we can't decide whether we love her or hate her, we keep watching the movie on the edge of our seats, searching for something that will proove to us once and for all what Gwen Cummings is. The movie wisely avoids giving us a straight answer to that and many other questions, allowing the viewer instead to make their own decisions and create their own relationaships with the characters and the things they encounter.

"28 Days" is a triumph for all involved. There's nothing better for a cynical critic like me then proof on the screen that films moving stories with engaging characters are still being made. Perhaps the best news of all is the resurrection of Sandra Bullock's career after three flops in a row. If she continues to show such wise judgement in choosing her projects, this poor man's Julia Roberts may be topping the A-list once again.

So when you are about to see this film you will anticipate that it be light-hearted, not serious, in other-words, totally Sandra. But the only thing light-hearted about the movie are the circumstances several of the supporting cast members get themselves into. Sandra plays this alcoholic with all of the angst she's got. And it's a heck of a lot more than anyone would have pegged her for.

So is she depressing to watch like this? Yes and no. Depressing because, based on those nasty preconceptions us lazy viewers have, you're waiting for her to jump out and say "Just kidding!" throughout the movie - her usual style - and, to everyone's surprise, she really doesn't. She gives every ounce of credibility and intensity to a role that many would like to write off simply b/c it is too hard to change one's preconceptions.

I am so excited when I stumble upon a performance, such as this one, that allows me to deepen my respect for an actor. Sandra has deepened everyone's respect with this role. She is a consummate professional actress: She plays every role as if it were herself and only herself on the screen.

And hey, even if it IS only acting, she fooled me . . .