Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis (1997)

Pop Svengali Marty Starr is in a little bit of trouble with shady American Bruce whose son has ambitions to be a pop star so Marty decides the best way to keep his kneecaps is to come up with a get rich quick scheme BRING ME THE HEAD OF MAVIS DAVIS has few fans and while it's not exactly consistently laugh out loud it's by the same token not a truly terrible British comedy , I did see THE WEDDING TACKLE the previous night so I know what an abysmal comedy from this small island looks like believe me Much of criticism may have to do with the casting of Rik Mayall as Marty , as everyone is keen to point out his character is very similar to Alan B'stard from THE NEW STATEMAN but dissimilar enough to make you notice that Marty is very much an inferior comic character to that of the Tory MP but any deficiencies are made up by the supporting cast especially Jane Horrocks and Marc Warren The script by Craig Strachen is slightly uneven containing mainly moments that are fairly predictable but one or two bits are very funny . Perhaps the script can be summed up where Marty goes to buy some drugs from a rent boy where the audience are one step ahead of the script ( You can guess what's gonna happen next ) but contains a misunderstanding at the police station where Marty's cell mate starts to pull his trousers downOften predictable , sometimes amusing and there's worst movies I've seen this week that were made in Britain

i really like rick mayall, drop dead Fred was great and when he's not doing his bottom and young ones style he can be charming/sly and a surprisingly good straight actor.....so all this is just me setting up an apology to him.rick 'im sorry'... this film suffers from the worst failing a film can have. it is so crushingly slow moving....no, sorry. its just plain boring. funny moments are negated by the whole thing being so drawn out. it has appalling pacing.There is also a weirdly misplaced 'accidental' outing that is just plain not funny, succeeds in just padding the film out. padding it really doesn't need. its fitting that in a film that deals with murder, the viewer is constantly losing the will to live.

It's true the Critics (both UK and US) hated this movie.Why? I dont know. I agree with another user's comments, that you have to be a Mayall fan to have enjoyed this film. Jane Horrocks once again proves what an all-round entertainer she is. Not only does she sing, but she also plays a convincing Bitch, and (in the flashbacks of the film) the Shy Mavis Davis before Stardom hits in. But I feel I have to mention Clint. Clint the hitman is hilarious in the movie. He comes highly recommended to Mayall, but its later discovered this is his first ever hit. Danny Aiello is also at his best in the movie. The film is full of visual humour too. Very good film.

I do not understand why this move was slammed critically. Great premise and great cast. Very funny movie. A must for all anglophiles. Highly recommended.