Keri Russell’s career highlight before hitting it big in "Felicity" was starring in the little known comedy “Eight Days a Week.” With a cast of ’people you may recognize, but no big stars’ and a limited release, this 1997 film quietly appeared then subsequently disappeared from view. If not for Keri’s future success, it probably would have been totally forgotten - which would have been a great shame given the number of laughs elicited from such a simple premise.

Erica (Keri) and Peter (Joshua Schaefer) are lifelong friends who have just graduated from high school. With one last summer before Erica departs for college, Peter searches for a way to win Erica’s heart. Or maybe it’s her body. The opening scene features Keri in a soaked t-shirt, sans bra. Who doesn’t fall in love with her? And is there any greater way to start a movie? Too scared to actually do anything, Peter’s uncle gives him the idea to camp out under Erica’s window until she falls in love with him. With nothing to lose and everything to win, Peter does precisely that.

While taking up residence on the lawn, Peter starts to notice the weirdness in the neighborhood around him. There’s the paranoid guy who always fears he’s being followed, a crazy lady who eats in her car and sits on the roof talking on the phone, a sad man who wheels his ill wife around the block every day in her wheelchair, ad local kids who remind him of himself and the crowd he grew up with. At first, Erica doesn’t pay much attention to Peter. Her parents love him because he is obviously a safer alternative to Erica’s big muscles, little brain jock boyfriend. Peter’s parents are real understanding, as Peter’s father locks him out of the house until he stops acting crazy. Which Peter and his uncle respond to by constantly watering Dad’s flowerbed the natural way.

To aid the comedy is Peter’s buddy Matt, played by R.D. Robb (as a child, he played Schwartz in "A Christmas Story"). Matt wants to support his friend, but can’t understand his fascination with Erica. Then again, Matt is an avid pursuer of the art of self-gratification who is convinced neither Peter or he will ever merit a decent woman anyway, so why bother. Matt is also a creative little pervert who spends a day with Peter on the lawn so his watermelon can get warm - two years before Jason Biggs went at it with an apple pie. Matt is the philosopher with the askew view of life that he tries to explain to Peter to help him understand the meaning of life and sex. They have several interesting discussions arguing their points of views, the meaning of Erica’s nipples, and the nature of the bully-victim relationship. Peter does question the validity of Matt’s arguments; after all, why would anyone take advice from someone who broke their own neck trying to give himself oral?

As the summer goes on, Erica begins to talk more with Peter. Since he’s always there, Erica has someone to discuss subjects that don’t interest her boyfriend and even uses Matt as an escape ladder when she needs to sneak out. Peter willingly does anything she asks in hopes of eventually winning her over. He also learns what really goes on his neighborhood by meeting and talking with this seemingly strange collection of people. Fed up with a wasted summer, Matt tells Peter that he’s decided to go away to college and would Peter go out with him for his last night in town. After first refusing, Peter decides to be with his friend and if Erica doesn’t love him now, she never will and leaves his summer home on her lawn.

For essentially an unknown movie, the DVD content is understandably plain vanilla with a widescreen presentation, 2.0 audio and a lone theatrical trailer. To expect Keri to embrace her roots for extensive extras would be asking too much. Just look at Sarah Michelle Gellar’s involvement in Buffy post-production.