The Alibi
Distraction is one of the biggest Hollywood assets. People easily distracted by damn near anything, and in the film it becomes crucial. The story is not quite the point? Make explosion or tidal wave. Character development is not so well? Throw a love story, and the sex scenes for good measure. If you make a fairly complex things, and the audience really have nowhere to go and just take things as they come, allowing some totally implausible that happens. For Kurt Matilla and Matt Checkowski’s The Alibi, distracting name of this game, but all in the name of fun.
Steve Coogan, that seems destined to be only his first Hollywood film, plays Ray Elliot, a man who built a business around to make it safe for people to cheat their spouses. Through contacts and unusual set of telephone and computer systems, Elliott has created an alibi for literally hundreds of people who need quick romp in the sack. Although his favorite client, Bob (a cheeky James Brolin), Ray decides to hire Lola (Rebecca Romijn), as his new assistant and the last one is invited to handle personal affairs for Bob: alibi for his son Wendell. As Wendell becomes his freak in a clear, he accidentally kills a woman, he and Ray had to cover him, he promises never to do. Soon enough, girls guy (John Leguizamo), a cop (Debi Mazar), and Mormon murderer (Sam Elliott), after all Ray, and he had to mislead all of them to make sure he can throw and run away with Lola , which, indeed, fell behind him, even if they have only a handful of scenes together (mostly uncontested problem with many romantic subplots).
In carrying out simply tad shy of 90 minutes, The Alibi can not provide all of these characters, even if he only comes back to Ray. Talented actors like Leguizamo, Selma Blair, and the great Elliott play their parts well, but we do not provide an opportunity to dig into the role. Indeed, the structure of the film is, each of these characters, then moves as a threat directly how they get duped on Rey. Writer Noah Hawley seems to be interested in quirkiness and silliness of his character that he did not take time to really bring them to life and make them work their mojo on the film.
What keeps the film from the catastrophe is Coogan, who gives Ray a wise-ass so much, dry as-a-martini charm that we are just enamored with laughter whenever he is on screen. While he seems more at home with individual masterpieces, as 24 Hour Party People and Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, Coogan has an odd way, that we are interested in things when Matilla, Checkowski and cinematographer Enrique Chediak only penalty is playing things safe and harmless. In the end, the problem boils down to a conflict: no one. In a moment of danger is Ray or story, it becomes clear that Ray can handle it, and that, indeed, is not a threat at all. Thus, none of the characters stick, because we know that they are just small-timers compared to Ray. But how distracting goes, Coogan got the game wired.
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