8 Heads in a Duffel Bag DVD

8 Heads in a Duffel Bag
Cross What's up Doc with Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia and you get this dark screwball comedy of murder and lost luggage. Mafia hitman Tommy Spinelli (Joe Pesci) is flying to San Diego with a bag that holds eight severed heads, which he's bringing to his superiors to prove that some troublesome rival mobsters are permanently out of the picture. Medical student Charlie Pritchett (Andy Comeau) is headed to Mexico with his fiancée Laurie Bennett (Kristy Swanson) to meet her parents. Charlie's suitcase is identical to Tommy's, and it's not until Tommy arrives in San Diego that he discovers that there are no heads in his bag, while Charlie realizes his duffel most certainly does not contain his vacation wardrobe. Tommy finds Charlie's address in the bag and heads to the fraternity house he calls home, where he drafts Charlie's friends Ernie (David Spade) and Steve (Todd Louiso) into finding him some replacement heads post-haste. Meanwhile, Laurie's parents (Dyan Cannon and George Hamilton) are a bit miffed to discover that their future son-in-law is travelling with a bag full of rotting heads, while Laurie is ready to give Charlie his walking papers. Eight Heads in a Duffel Bag was the directorial debut of screenwriter Tom Schulman, who won an Academy Award for his script for the movie Dead Poets Society. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Cast Joe Pesci as Tommy Spinelli Andy Comeau as Charlie Pritchett Kristy Swanson as Laurie Bennett Todd Louiso as Steve David Spade as Ernie Lipscomb George Hamilton as Dick Bennett Dyan Cannon as Annette Bennett

Crew Thomas P. Wilkins - Art Director Amy McIntyre-Britt - Casting Janet Hirshenson - Casting Jane Jenkins - Casting Tim Foster - Co-producer Paul Peters - Costume Designer Sanja Milkovic Hays - Costume Designer Benita Allen - First Assistant Director Tom Schulman - Director David Holden - Editor Jeffrey D. Ivers - Executive Producer Andrew Gross - Composer (Music Score) Greg Cannom - Makeup Special Effects Adam Holender - Cinematographer John Bertolli - Producer Brad Krevoy - Producer Steven Stabler - Producer Ed White - Sound/Sound Designer

8 Heads in a Duffel Bag
The most shocking thing about 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag -- whose premise is all right there in the title -- is that it was greenlighted in the first place. Second most shocking is that it's actually sort of fun. Playing an exhausted version of his familiar mobster sociopath, Joe Pesci seems almost bored by his obligation of tracking down his gruesome quarry. What might seem like lazy acting instead feels like a conscious choice on Pesci's part, which informs the rest of the cast in keeping the tone more lighthearted than the subject matter would suggest. Key assistance comes from newcomer Andy Comeau, who channels a young Daniel Stern as the panicky and confused boyfriend, and David Spade, who proves how effective he can be in a supporting role. Writer-director Tom Schulman has written some funny material about how Pesci's character searches for replacement heads, enlisting the unwitting help of Charlie's two fraternity brothers (played by Spade and an increasingly unhinged Todd Louiso), such that they're all eventually arguing whether one particular substitute is a "good Frank" or just a "so-so Frank." In the process, the heads themselves almost assume personalities. The portion involving Charlie's girlfriend's family in Mexico is a lot more broad, relying too much on the histrionics of Dyan Cannon as the girlfriend's mother, who boozes too much and then attacks Charlie with a fork. And a lot of the third-act plot mechanics leave a lot to be desired in the logic department. No one will mistake 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag for high art, but it's a surprisingly good-natured comedy that exceeds its bad reputation. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
 

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General Specifications: Language Options: English, French Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel DDS: Dolby Digital Surround Additional Features: cc Original theatrical trailer English 5.1 Surround French Stereo Surround English, French & Spanish subtitles DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard MPAA Rating: R DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 2 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 95 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- Widescreen 1. Main Title/Package [5:07] 2. Mix-Up [6:28] 3. Out of the Bag [8:01] 4. The Truth [5:34] 5. Not 1, Not 2... 8! [5:37] 6. Where's Charlie? [5:05] 7. Losing His Head [5:23] 8. A Time and a Place [7:12] 9. Replacements [7:32] 10. A So-So Collection [4:59] 11. Change of Plans [4:49] 12. Heads or Tails? [7:30] 13. Lost Dreams [8:55] 14. The Head Back [4:02] 15. Through the Gate [3:52] 16. End Credits [4:55] Side #2 -- Standard 1. Main Title/Package [5:14] 2. Mix-Up [6:28] 3. Out of the Bag [8:01] 4. The Truth [5:34] 5. Not 1, Not 2... 8! [5:37] 6. Where's Charlie? [5:05] 7. Losing His Head [5:23] 8. A Time and a Place [7:12] 9. Replacements [7:33] 10. A So-So Collection [4:59] 11. Change of Plans [4:49] 12. Heads or Tails? [7:30] 13. Lost Dreams [8:55] 14. The Head Back [4:02] 15. Through the Gate [3:52] 16. End Credits [4:47]