Deadly Advice

Set in Hay-on-Wye, infamous locally as the home of 1920s poisoner Major Herbert Armstrong, this competent, intermittently funny film casts Horrocks as Jodie, a mother-dominated shrew for whom life is anything but sweet. While her sister Beth (Staunton) is out and about with male stripper Bunny (Abbey), Jodie is stuck at home with her lazy, oppressive mother (Fricker). Inspired by a book about Armstrong's exploits, Jodie decides to bump her off, receiving unexpected help when the Major (Woodward) slides into reality from the pages of the book. Soon Jodie's bedroom is crammed with veteran British character actors playing real-life killers with conflicting advice on how best to dispose of the troublesome mother. Horrocks easily holds her own in this distinguished company, while Fricker is far more terrifying than any of the genteel killers. Mandie Fletcher's handling of Glenn Chandler's script is, however, sketchy and hurried, a legacy perhaps of her background in formula TV (Blackadder, Only Fools and Horses).