A fun movie with several strange twists. Essentially, "Ray Elliott" (Steve Coogan) owns a small company which helps people set up alibis in order to continue extramarital affairs. For example, if a person who is having an affair is supposed to be in a business meeting, then all calls will be rerouted to one of Ray Elliotts assistants who will field the call and cover for the client. Naturally, this is all done for a hefty price. Unfortunately, things go wrong when a new client accidentally kills his mistress. Not only is Ray Elliott left to try to clean up the mess but he soon finds that he has a contract out on his head as well. Likewise, his former partner also has a contract out on his head and people are swarming all over the place looking for him too. At any rate, Steve Coogan performed in an outstanding manner. Likewise, Rebecca Romijn looked awesome as Ray Elliott's new employee "Lola". And while this film has some mature themes it really doesn't go overboard or push the envelope. In short, this is a good comedy which most people will probably get a kick out of.
Lies & Alibis
2006
Action / Comedy / Drama / Romance
Plot summary
Ray Elliott, a crook whose former partner Jack is under a $5 million contract, believes in statistics and runs a risk-assessment and managing business that's actually a front for a company that provides alibis to adulterous people who cheat on their partners. He does not accept giving alibis for crimes and he has just hired the alluring Lola to be his assistant. When Wendell Hatch, the reckless son of his wealthy client Robert Hatch, accidentally kills his masochist date Heather in a kinky S&M game, Ray breaks his rules to protect his own name and hire some guys to clean the bedroom and vanish the body. Sooner Ray has many problems to resolve: the police are on his tail trying to find a clue about Heather's disappearance; her jealous Mexican-American boyfriend wishes revenge against the murderer; Wendell is upset because Ray told his father about the crime; Robert is angry and hires hitman "The Mormon" to kill Ray, but the killer spares him to chase Jack. When the jealous The Mormon sees his wife Adelle flirting with Ray, he decides to kill him. With no option, Ray joins his crook friends to help him to resolve the situation.
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A Fun Movie with Several Strange Twists
clever and entertaining
"Lies & Alibis" is a 2006 film starring Steve Coogan, Rebecca Romijn, James Brolin, Sam Elliott, James Marsden, and John Leguizamo.
Steve Coogan plays Ray Elliot, whose former partner Jack has a $5 million contract on his life, so everybody wants to find him. Elliot runs a risk management firm on the face of it. In reality it is probably based on the real-life Alibi Network - like the real thing, Elliot's company helps wayward husbands cheat by giving them alibis, intercepting calls to the hotel where they're supposed to be staying, etc.
There are several subplots going on but the main one is that Ray helps out a client's (Brolin) son Wendell (Marsden) by allowing him to cheat on his fiancé. Wendell is supposed to be at a conference in San Francisco; instead, with faked identity showing he is Ray Elliot, he's living in up in Santa Barbara with a hot woman. Ray, as Wendall, is in San Francisco. Unfortunately, Wendell's girl is into kinky sex and, during one session, winds up dead. The cops want to speak to Ray.
I found this a funny, clever film, with the beautiful Romijn playing a new and valuable assistant of Ray's, Sam Elliot as a hit man with several wives who is after Ray's old partner, and James Brolin as a cheating husband. Leguizamo is a riot as the dead woman's boyfriend.
Lots of twists. This makes a good rental.
Could have been worse
In 'The Alibi' Steve Coogan plays a 'reformed' con man who now runs a 'legitimate' business providing alibis for people when they're cheating on their partners. However, he comes unstuck when an assignment goes wrong and he's forced to cover up for a murder.
Therefore he's forced into many dangerous liaisons with gangsters, street hoods and cops if he's to get out of this (a) alive and (b) stay out of jail.
The film has all the makings of a cheeky guy Ritchie Lock Stock affair, but doesn't quite pull it off - not to say it doesn't have a go.
I love Steve Coogan just as much as the next Partridge fan, however, in The Alibi, Coogan has to play a suave, quick-thinking tough guy - a far cry from a DJ from Norwich. This is where it stumbles a bit. The Alibi isn't funny enough to be a comedy, dramatic enough to be a drama or action-packed enough to be an action flick. It sort of borrows from all genres and hopes the end result will be okay.
And it is... okay. It's not the greatest film of its kind, but it's definitely not the worst. All the pieces fit together at the end and if you can see Steve Coogan out of a knitted jumper and slugging it out with street punks in a dingy back-street American bar, then you're half way to finding some enjoyment in it.