FATHER GEEK signing in with a report on a wonderful little film; that has been
making the festival circuit for awhile looking for a distributor, that I just saw about
Teenagers, Love, and Genuineness, 8 DAYS A WEEK. Oh No! Not another teen coming
of age film you may say. Well, while this movie could easily be pigeonholed as just another
"teenagers" flick I feel that would be a mistake. This feature presentation is about looking
back at that extremely awkward period in our lives and smiling at our insecurities and
ourselves. Unlike many films that deal with this subject this one is not locked into a given
generation's time frame like "American Graffiti", "The Outsiders", "The Wanderers", or "
Fast Times at Ridgemont High"; all great films mind you. I feel 8 DAYS A WEEK is
more universal in it scope, dealing with broader issues the way 'The Graduate", "Dead
Poets Society", and "Love Story" did, but with the humor of last summer's "Mary" film.
What evidence do I offer?
Well, I'm 53 years old (not exactly the target audience for teen films) and am,
however, a huge devotee of life as projected on the big screen. Most "new-age", teenage
aimed comedy does not rest well with me. Why? Well, I have a fairly simple test for
judging the mastery or failure of a motion picture. If I can sit through a movie of 80 to
300 minutes in length without my mind wandering to a topic other than the scenario
offered up before me, then the film is a success for me. Cinema is supposed to whisk us
away from the "real" world and allow us to visit a different time, place, or experience the
way, for example, that best of all coming of age films "Star Wars" did and still does. Well,
not only was I completely stolen away by 8 DAYS A WEEK, I don't think the old gray
matter wandered once for even a second. I don't suppose I even blinked, although I didn't
even start watching the picture until well after midnight.
Just where did this low budget, little independent film set in the suburbs of present
day America kidnap me to? 8 DAYS A WEEK took me into the very minds and hearts of
its characters. I wholeheartedly agree with the underlying theme of the film that a
successful life full of happiness depends upon love, and that everything else we do is just
treading water trying to keep our heads above its murky depths until we can find and
experience real love, and if through some misfortune we should lose that affection, then
nothing much really matters until we can find it once again. This dramatization allows you
to realize that everyone of us in our teen years (and some of us even later) were victims
of the same doubts, inadequacies, mistrusts, investigations, and discoveries. It gives us the
privilege of looking back on our lives and laughing at what was an eminently inexpert time
in our coming of age.
We have all known our share of "Nick" the neighborhood assholes, or a "Ms.
Lewis" the middle-aged sex-starved divorcee, or the "Sad Man or Woman" in the
unfamiliar house across the street, or the "Crazy Lady" who does those bizarre things at
odd times of the day or night, or the "Matt" who has simply givenup on ever finding a
love, or the ever present block "Bully". These along with our hero "Peter" and his beloved
"Erica" form the gist of the film that everyone can relate to in some way at some time in
their life.
Just where did this low budget, little independent film set in the suburbs of present
day America kidnap me to? 8 DAYS A WEEK took me into the very minds and hearts of
its characters. I wholeheartedly agree with the underlying theme of the film that a
successful life full of happiness depends upon love, and that everything else we do is just
treading water trying to keep our heads above its murky depths until we can find and
experience real love, and if through some misfortune we should lose that affection, then
nothing much really matters until we can find it once again. This dramatization allows you
to realize that everyone of us in our teen years (and some of us even later) were victims
of the same doubts, inadequacies, mistrusts, investigations, and discoveries. It gives us the
privilege of looking back on our lives and laughing at what was an eminently inexpert time
in our coming of age.
We have all known our share of "Nick" the neighborhood assholes, or a "Ms.
Lewis" the middle-aged sex-starved divorcee, or the "Sad Man or Woman" in the
unfamiliar house across the street, or the "Crazy Lady" who does those bizarre things at
odd times of the day or night, or the "Matt" who has simply givenup on ever finding a
love, or the ever present block "Bully". These along with our hero "Peter" and his beloved
"Erica" form the gist of the film that everyone can relate to in some way at some time in
their life.
Joshua Peter stars as Peter, a scrawny 17-year-old with eyeglasses who's so enamored with the drop-dead-gorgeous femme-fatal from across the street that he grewup with, (played to succulent perfection by Keri Schaefer), that he decides to camp under her window until she recognizes his undying (and unfulfilled) love for her. First time Director Michael Davis brings to Peter's circumstance consideration, imagination and alot of raunchy merriment. Davis maps Peter's maturing familiarity of the other neighbors, permitting him to become perceptibly aware of how little he comprehends about them. This point of view of the film is one of its strongest and counterbalances the torpid quality of Peter's front yard summerlong stake-out. Peter's relationship with his best-pal, played jocositly by R. D. Robb, runs the gauntlet of prattle about sex and/or the lack of it that is true to the teen males that they represent, but this sexist discourse is so righteously funny you may not mind at all.
8 DAYS A WEEK is chocked-full of great little scenes. One of mine and most males favorites would have to be the opening watersprinkler sequence, pure mouth-watering super-delicious eye-candy. Another of my pet episodes was the one where Peter was settled under Erica's balcony and they were talking about the Beatles and how simple it would be to be a songwriter instead of pursuing some other vocation. That fadeout was glorious.Yet another great little spectacle was between Peter and Ms. Lewis (Star Trek's Catherine Hicks) when he grows aware of the fact that she has become cognizant of his attraction to her by his nightly exposures to her in various stages of undress.
The remarkable soundtrack music in 8 DAYS A WEEK was created by Jon ( Austin Powers) McHugh. It features two hits from Dishwalla as well as selections from Oingo Boingo. The audience will recognize The Cruel Sea, Monster Magnet, and Moonbeams and Caterpillars among others. Good sounds.
FATHER GEEK had a grand time visiting Peter and Erica's neighborhood last night and I am sure that you will enjoy this fun little film festival crowd pleaser too when it shows on the big screen near you, that is of course contingent on it getting some kind of distribution. This flick is by no means a great motion picture, it is, however, a whole lot of fun.
