Eight Days a Week

Starring: Joshua Schaefer, Keri Russell, R.D. Robb, Mark L. Taylor, Catherine Hicks
Directed by: Michael Davis
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Romance
1997

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Nerdy Peter (Joshua Schaefer) has loved Erica (Keri Russell) for as long as he can remember. As the summer before she leaves for college arrives, he decides to spend every second of the entire summer camped out in front of her house, until she gives him a chance.

Review:

Tim: Michael Davis brings a similar blend of romance and raunchiness to Eight Days a Week as he did to 100 Girls. Unfortunately, this movie doesn't work nearly as effectively as the previous one. This movie feels like one big romantic comedy cliche. It might have an interesting twist, but it just doesn't deliver. I didn't enjoy this movie very much at all. In fact, it often felt like I was sitting outside of a house for an entire summer myself- boring.

The cast isn't very good. Joshua Schaefer has a few nerdy everyman qualities, but he isn't the most likeable actor. I thought he did a serviceable job, but I wasn't wowed by him in the least. He was decent, and gives quite a bit of effort in the role, but the movie needed a better leading man. Keri Russell does a fair enough job, although an inordinate amount of screen time is spent running around in small outfits. She worked well enough, but again, I wasn't very impressed. I was even less impressed with the entire rest of the cast, save Catherine Hicks, who did fairly good work in an unlikely role. Still, the cast felt like a collection of B or C level actors, and the movie suffers as a result.

Michael Davis brings his typical brand of imaginativeness to the movie, but it doesn't work just as often as it does. The movie is a romantic comedy, but the comedy aspect was almost completely laughing. I probably physically laughed once or twice. The movie is often silly, stupid, and raunchy in all the wrong ways. You have so many cliches- a perverted best friend, the stupid jock boyfriend, the "just friends" zone, musings on love, and much more. Unfortunately, all of these aspects just make this movie feel redundant and a little pointless. I certainly like that this movie did put a different twist on the old romantic comedy story with the standing-in-front-of-a-girl's-house-till-she-falls-for-him plot, but this isn't enough. This might be a dressed up cliche-ridden film, but the cliches are there nonetheless.

Eight Days a Week is a weak movie all around and a poor effort from Michael Davis. I didn't hate the movie, but I certainly wasn't feeling many good feelings towards it, either. I watched the movie in a strange state- not miserable, but not exactly enjoying myself, either. I can't recommend this movie, as this is one I wouldn't have minded missing.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: 100 Girls, Waitress, The Babysitter's Seduction