A Coming-of-Age Film With Compassionate Twist

Michael Davis’ “Eight Days a Week” was one of the brighter lights of the 1997 AFI Film Fest. It’s finally being released now that its beautiful and talented leading lady Keri Russell has become the star of the critically acclaimed TV series “Felicity,” which won her a Golden Globe.

“Eight Days a Week,” which won the audience award at Slam-dance in 1997, is overly talky, but the dialogue is so good you may not mind. Joshua Schaefer stars as Peter, a scrawny 17-year-old with glasses who’s so enamored of the gorgeous girl (Russell) across the street he decides to camp on her front lawn until she hopefully capitulates.

Davis brings to Peter’s predicament compassion, imagination and much raunchy humor. This kid and his best pal (R.D. Robb) talk about sex the way only teenage males can. Davis charts Peter’s growing awareness of the other neighbors, allowing him to become gradually aware of how little he knows about them. This aspect of the picture, one of its strongest, might have been developed a tad more to offset the inherent static quality of Peter’s frontyard stakeout.

Among those neighbors is Catherine Hicks as the seductive Ms. Lewis, and Mark Taylor and Marcia Shapiro as Peter’s parents. Performances are solid all around. A highly personal film, for which Davis drew upon his own coming of age, “Eight Days a Week” was made on a shoestring but doesn’t look it.

* MPAA rating: R, for strong sexual content and related dialogue. Times guidelines: The male teenager sex talk is raunchy but typical.

‘Eight Days a Week’

Joshua Schaefer: Peter

Keri Russell: Erica

R.D. Robb: Matt

Catherine Hicks: Ms. Lewis

A Legacy Releasing and Palisades Pictures presentation. Writer-director Michael Davis. Producers Martin Cutler, Michael Davis, Gary Preisler. Executive producer Dale Rosenbloom. Cinematographer James Lawrence Spencer. Editor David Carkhuff. Music Kevin Bassinson. Costumes Sybil Mosely. Production designer Chuck Conner. Art director Chase Harlan. Running time: 1 hour, 33 minutes.

Exclusively at the Westside Pavilion Cinemas, 10800 W. Pico Blvd., West Los Angeles, (310) 475-0202.