The Alibi (2006)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Directors:

Matt Checkowski
Kurt Mattila

Writer (WGA):

Noah Hawley (written by)

Release Date:

12 January 2006 (South Korea)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Planning a lunchtime rendezvous or an elicit affair and don't want anyone to find out? Do you need an alibi? Then Ray Elliot is here to help.

Plot:

A man who runs an alibi service for adulterous husbands gets into a jam with a new client. In trying to remedy the situation, he must rely on an alluring woman who gets his heart racing.

Plot Keywords:

Mormon

Cast

Jerry O'Connell	...	Businessman
Jon Polito	...	Jimmy the Photographer
Deborah Kara Unger	...	Dorothy
Steve Coogan	...	Ray Elliot
Ken Kerman	...	Vic
Aimee Garcia	...	Operator #1
Yasmine Delawari	...	Operator #2
Mary Pat Gleason	...	Operator #3
Rebecca Romijn	...	Lola
Henry Rollins	...	Putty
Sergio Bruna	...	Waiter - Italian Restaurant
Selma Blair	...	Adelle
Jim Cody Williams	...	BoBo
Sam Elliott	...	The Mormon
James Brolin	...	Robert Hatch

Also Known As:

Lies & Alibis (USA)
Lies and Alibis (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and sexual content.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Netherlands | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16 (edited version) | Germany:12 | UK:15 | Argentina:16 | South Korea:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Alibi

Movie Connections:

References Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Soundtrack:

Sway

"The one thing I never do is to provide alibis to cover crime"

So states the risk management owner of a service that creates 'cover lies' for adulterous affairs. And up to a point that statement makes Ray Elliott (Steve Coogan) seem like an honest if distorted service provider, covering the tracks with high technology so that cheating husbands can have affairs without the danger of their wives' discovery.

Smartly written by Noah Hawley and directed with style by Matt Checkowski and Kurt Mattila, LIES & ALIBIS delivers a new twist to suspense films laced with comedy yet filled with tension, murder, and all manner of underground derring-do. Ray Elliott is a smooth talker who manages to discreetly provide protection for business men who cheat on their wives using photographers to set up situations, falsifying credit cards and names and hotel room reservations, staging gifts for suspicious wives to stave off their concerns, etc. All proceeds well until Ray's primary client Robert Hatch (James Brolin) hires Ray to cover his son Wendell's (James Marsden) Santa Barbara bed and breakfast, pre-wedding escapade with a S&M girlfriend of one Hannibal (John Leguizamo) - a spree that carries out a bit too far in that the girl is dead by Wendell's inadvertent orders during the 'game'. Sam takes on the voluptuous Lola (Rebecca Romijn) as his new assistant and discovers she is as brainy as she is beautiful. He employs her to help his cover of the murder (Ray had switched IDs with Wendell in a planned alibi cover for the fling), breaking his own rules, and Lola ends up saving the day through a manner of crosses and double crosses that fling off the screen so fast that it takes powerful concentration to keep the story progress straight - just the way coordinated crime behaves! The manner in which this spree takes place involves a large cast including Jon Polito, Deborah Kara Unger, Selma Blair, Sam Elliott and a fine crew of bit players. Steve Coogan and Rebecca Romijn make the whole caper tick like a time bomb, giving the film elegance and just the right balance of noir and romance. The rapid-fire cinematography is by Enrique Chediak and the always dependable Alexandre Desplat provides the musical score (with a heavy nod to Offenbach's Barcarolle from 'Tales of Hoffman'). For an evening of fast-paced intrigue, romance, tension, and creative writing and acting, LIES & ALIBIS is a sure bet. Grady Harp