28 DAYS
Rating: 
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton: Any soundtrack which opens with the line "Jeremiah was a bullfrog" must have a great deal wrong with it. It's not that the soundtrack for 28 Days is particularly bad as such; it's just that it has absolutely nothing to define it as anything other than "usual". No standout cues, no lovely themes, not even particularly interesting orchestrations. In such circumstances, when there is nothing of note on the entire album, it makes a mockery of the whole soundtrack set up. What made a label like Varèse, who has done more for film music than any other, release this piece of uninteresting flotsam when other, infinitely better scores like Frequency and Final Destination remain unheard? I'm afraid I don't know the answers, but I would bet my bottom dollar that it's all down to money and the marketing men.
28 Days is Sandra Bullock's attempt to prove that she is a "serious actress". After being spunky in Speed, fluffy in While You Were Sleeping, and kooky in Practical Magic, Bullock has set out to prove that she can also put in a strong, emotional performance when the time is right. There were hints of this side to Bullock's personality in A Time To Kill and the vastly underrated Hope Floats; but now she goes the whole hog in her portrayal of an alcoholic. Bullock plays Gwen, the self-proclaimed "life and soul of the party" whose inebriated antics result in her ruining the wedding of her sister (Elizabeth Perkins), and crashing a stolen limousine into a house. Arrest, and rehab beckon, during which time she meets and bonds with a group of social misfits (including Viggo Mortensen, Diane Ladd and Steve Buscemi).
Richard Gibbs, who wrote the music for 28 Days, is a composer who, over the last few years, has scored several hit movies without anyone really noticing. As one of the original founder members of Oingo Boingo (the band which famously spawned Danny Elfman and Steve Bartek), Gibbs's career has never really taken off in the same way as his former cohorts, despite having written music for the Eddie Murphy vehicle Dr. Dolittle, the updated Shakespearean comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, and the recent Martin Lawrence hit comedy Big Momma's House. In truth, the reason Gibbs has not scaled the same heights as Elfman is because he is nowhere near as talented; he is a workmanlike composer whose music suits the films in question, but has no real life outside of the cinema. 28 Days is a prime example of this.
By far the best tracks are the two moody piano pieces 'Better Than What' and 'Impossible Not', both of which seem to have been derived from Thomas Newman's similar-sounding work on scores such as The Shawshank Redemption. Both cues are nothing more than simple, repeated piano motifs surrounded by gently cooing synth effects and a small bed of strings, but nevertheless leave a calming, generally positive impression that the rest of the score lacks. The remainder of the album, sadly, has very little to offer other than synth loops, drum pads, a peculiar ticking effect, and an occasional burst of electric guitar. It can also be no coincidence that portions of 'A Way to Die' sound incredibly similar to Maurice Jarre's 'To The Cave' cue from Dead Poets Society - Patrick Russ, who regularly works with Jarre, also orchestrated this score.
Interspersed with Gibbs's score are half a dozen songs, most of which are performed by Loudon Wainwright III, who also has a small cameo in the movie itself. Some of the lyrics in 'The Drinking Song' and 'White Winos' are funny quite satirical in their own way, and fans of dirty rock will probably quite enjoy them. Similarly, Three Dog Night's 'Joy To The World' is a toe-tapping little number of the guilty pleasure variety. When I first heard "Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa" I could have sworn Randy Newman was about to burst into song; the lazy, rhythm & blues beats that usher in Otis Redding's vocals are highly reminiscent of the iconic singer/songwriter.
The whole problem with this score was that it left me completely indifferent. At least if you like, or really dislike a score, it means that the music has caused you to form an opinion. 28 Days at least represents the musical content of the movie, which I suppose could be taken as a compliment, but is neither here nor there in the enjoyment stakes, never really capturing the attention or making any kind of statement about anything in particular. Gibbs has just been signed to score Queen of the Damned, the second instalment of Anne Rice's vampire trilogy, with Korn frontman Jonathan Davis. I just hope he does something remotely interesting there. In the meantime, remember this: drunk men quite often urinate outdoors. If you take nothing else away from listening to this album, at least heed Mr. Wainwright's musical public service messages.
Track Listing:
- Joy to the World (written by Hoyt Axton, performed by Three Dog Night) (3:41)
- D.U.I. (1:13)
- Out the Window (1:49)
- A Way to Die (2:17)
- Heaven and Mud (written and performed by Loudon Wainwright III) (0:26)
- Can't Breathe (2:01)
- Ode de Toilet (1:31)
- Better Than What (1:51)
- The Drinking Song (written and performed by Loudon Wainwright III) (0:50)
- A Dingo Stole My Baby (1:21)
- Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (written by Otis Redding and Steve Cropper, performed by Otis Redding) (2:41)
- Impossible Not (1:50)
- White Winos (written and performed by Loudon Wainwright III) (1:10)
- Eversleep/Dreaming/Mourning ("Dreaming" written and performed by Loudon Wainwright III) (4:48)
- Fragile Package (4:14)
- Lean On Me (written by Bill Withers, performed by Tom Jones) (4:06)
Running Time: 36 minutes 23 seconds
Varèse Sarabande VSD-6151 (2000)
Music composed by Richard Gibbs. Orchestrations by Patrick Russ. Featured musical soloist George Doering. Recorded and mixed by Jeff Vaughn. Album produced by Richard Gibbs.
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