No laughs, but nice premise
Added 1/4/2010
If this is a comedy, someone forgot to put in something funny. Still, it's an interesting premise movie, and the 'plot,' such as it is, nicely builds up to a complicated grand finale that made me wonder just one thing: who exactly got shot at the hotel? The film isn't clear on that point, or was it just me? This could be a direct to dvd movie, though it does have some big names. It moves along fairly well.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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A premise in search of a plot
Added 1/18/2009
Lies and Alibis feels like a premise in search of a plot: Steve Coogan's an ex-con man who's spotted a gap in the market and now provides alibis for cheating husbands and wives only to find himself in the frame for murder when one of his clients accidentally kills a woman. With a similar plot engine to Coogan's earlier The Parole Officer - man suspected of a crime he didn't commit has to use his clients to save him - it's the kind of US film Peter Sellers might have made during the early 70s lull in his career and which you'd expect to see on an airplane. But while it highlights Coogan's weaknesses as a conventional leading man and is very short on laughs without have a smart enough payoff to compensate, it's brisk and harmless enough. But James Brolin really should lay off the Peter Falk impersonations in future.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Twists & Turns
Added 7/30/2008
"Lies & Alibis" was in the budget bin @ the video store; so I gave it a spin. It's an interesting comedy that moves briskly as the plot gets increasingly complex. Ray has established an agency to give cheating spouses an alibi for their affairs. Steve Coogan plays the agency owner with tightly controlled performance that is subtle and has a splash of humor. Coogan is currently in "Hamlet 2" and played in Night at the Museum (Widescreen Edition). Lola starts working at the agency and quickly becomes Ray's right hand woman. Romijn played in The Punisher and Femme Fatale. Here she plays with her "Ugly Betty" co-star and real-life leading man Jerry O'Connell, who plays a businessman. Lola is bright, quick-witted and sweetly sincere. Selma Blair from Down to You and Cruel Intentions plays wife of a crime boss and flirts overtly through the film. The complication comes when rich kid Wendell Hatch played by James Marsden of 10th and Wolf kills a girl, thus implicating Ray as an accessory. Debi Mazar from Collateral (Two-Disc Special Edition) plays Detective Rebecca Bryce who is intent on solving the crime. The twists and turns of the plot are entertaining. It is well worth an evening's entertainment. Enjoy!
3 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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Poor showing
Added 7/15/2008
I like Steve Coogan, and Rebecca Romijn is easy on the eyes (even if she's made to look 7 feet tall in this movie), but this flick- as promising as it sounded- was just not up to snuff. It was kind of as if they were trying to mix a Guy Ritchie movie with the Sting, but it just didn't work. And even though Steve Coogan is a hilarious comedian, this wasn't funny in the least. Why cast one of the world's best comedians in a dull, half-hearted gangland adventure? Without any laughs, the convoluted plot and implausible romance failed to hold up this lead balloon. Someone give Mr. Coogan some material he can work with!
4 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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Better than some.
Added 3/5/2008
I picked this up because I wanted something new and I like Steve Coogan. It may not be the best movie I've ever seen, but it's deffinately better than some of the stuff out there. It's clever, funny, and if not entirely original at least it's entertaining and fast paced. I'll admit I'm still not quite sure what Rebecca Romijn's character is there for other than to dress in white and be sexy. If you're looking for a decent Friday night movie this is a pretty good bet.
4 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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No laughs, but nice premise
Added 1/4/2010
If this is a comedy, someone forgot to put in something funny. Still, it's an interesting premise movie, and the 'plot,' such as it is, nicely builds up to a complicated grand finale that made me wonder just one thing: who exactly got shot at the hotel? The film isn't clear on that point, or was it just me? This could be a direct to dvd movie, though it does have some big names. It moves along fairly well.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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A premise in search of a plot
Added 1/18/2009
Lies and Alibis feels like a premise in search of a plot: Steve Coogan's an ex-con man who's spotted a gap in the market and now provides alibis for cheating husbands and wives only to find himself in the frame for murder when one of his clients accidentally kills a woman. With a similar plot engine to Coogan's earlier The Parole Officer - man suspected of a crime he didn't commit has to use his clients to save him - it's the kind of US film Peter Sellers might have made during the early 70s lull in his career and which you'd expect to see on an airplane. But while it highlights Coogan's weaknesses as a conventional leading man and is very short on laughs without have a smart enough payoff to compensate, it's brisk and harmless enough. But James Brolin really should lay off the Peter Falk impersonations in future.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Twists & Turns
Added 7/30/2008
"Lies & Alibis" was in the budget bin @ the video store; so I gave it a spin. It's an interesting comedy that moves briskly as the plot gets increasingly complex. Ray has established an agency to give cheating spouses an alibi for their affairs. Steve Coogan plays the agency owner with tightly controlled performance that is subtle and has a splash of humor. Coogan is currently in "Hamlet 2" and played in Night at the Museum (Widescreen Edition). Lola starts working at the agency and quickly becomes Ray's right hand woman. Romijn played in The Punisher and Femme Fatale. Here she plays with her "Ugly Betty" co-star and real-life leading man Jerry O'Connell, who plays a businessman. Lola is bright, quick-witted and sweetly sincere. Selma Blair from Down to You and Cruel Intentions plays wife of a crime boss and flirts overtly through the film. The complication comes when rich kid Wendell Hatch played by James Marsden of 10th and Wolf kills a girl, thus implicating Ray as an accessory. Debi Mazar from Collateral (Two-Disc Special Edition) plays Detective Rebecca Bryce who is intent on solving the crime. The twists and turns of the plot are entertaining. It is well worth an evening's entertainment. Enjoy!
3 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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