ROANOKE TIMES Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times DATE: Saturday, April 19, 1997 TAG: 9704210112 SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B7 EDITION: METRO TYPE: MOVIE REVIEW SOURCE: MIKE MAYO THE ROANOKE TIMES
Joe Pesci is a watered down mobster who has lost a duffel bag full of mobster heads in what could have been a winning farce, but ends up nothing more than mediocre formula. Stay away.
"8 Heads in a Duffle Bag" is a mediocre misfire.
Despite its accurate title, the movie isn't offensive enough to be in truly poor taste. It does insult alcoholics, the blind and the entire nation of Mexico, but most of the comedy is built on a familiar formula: The film is actually a bedroom farce with body parts substituted for sex.
The noggins in the title have been detached from New York mobsters. They're rubbed out in a gangland hit that takes place off-screen during the credits. Tommy Spinelli (Joe Pesci) is the bagman who has to deliver said heads to the San Diego capo Big Sep (Howard George) to prove that the job's been done right.
After a laborious set-up on an airplane, Tommy switches luggage with Charlie (Andy Comeau), a college student heading for a Mexican vacation with his fiancee Laurie (Kristy Swanson) and her disapproving parents Dick (George Hamilton) and Bear (Dyan Cannon). That development sends Tommy back to Maryland, where he finds Charlie's roommates Ernie (David Spade) and Steve (Todd Louiso).
Meanwhile, Charlie arrives at a swanky Mexican resort and discovers the little mix-up. Assuming that local authorities will immediately lock him up because he's a gringo, he sets about to get rid of the baggage. Of course, he's thwarted at every turn while Tommy is struggling to retrieve the heads.
Pesci's role is a watered-down version of the characters he played in "GoodFellas" and "Casino," and his performance is appropriately bland. Andy Comeau is equally forgettable, so the histrionics are handed over to Dyan Cannon. Every 20 minutes or so, she's called upon to go into a hair-tearing, floor-crawling hysterical fit. The rest of the cast doesn't fare much better, but her unlucky role is the most embarrassing.
The only remarkable thing about the film is the fact that it's the directorial debut of Tom Schulman, who's also responsible for the "Dead Poet's Society" screenplay. Talk about a 180-degree turnaround!
To a degree, the film suffers in comparison to "Grosse Pointe Blank," another recent comedy that works with unorthodox material and turns it into comic gold. But that's really unfair. At any time, under any circumstances, "8 Heads" would remain an unfunny mistake.
8 Heads in a Duffle Bag 1/2
An Orion Pictures release playing at Salem Valley 8. 97 min. Rated R for subject matter, violence, strong language.
LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Kristy Swanson is on vacation in Mexico in "8 Heads inby CNBa Duffel Bag."