8 Heads in a Duffel Bag

1997 Comedy

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. more..

Director: Tom Schulman

Starring: Joe Pesci, Andy Comeau, Kristy Swanson, David Spade, George Hamilton

Reviews

  • Consistently inventive...Comeau comes across likably.

    Kevin Thomas - Los Angeles Times

    29 November 2012

  • Pesci has a lot of scenes that strike just the right note.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    29 November 2012

  • So stupid you'll wish you'd brought a duffel bag of your own.

    David Sterritt - Christian Science Monitor

    29 November 2012

  • The heads may be dead, but at least they have a comical look.

    Elvis Mitchell - The New York Times

    29 November 2012

  • Aims for dark farce but ends up playing more like Weekend at Bernie's Part VIII.

    Bruce Fretts - Entertainment Weekly

    29 November 2012

Awards

  • Tom Schulman

    Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film (1998)