Alibi
Alibi
| 25 August 2003 (USA)
Alibi Trailers

A thriller with a bit of romance and touches of black humor along the way. Greg is discovered with the dead body of his wife's lover by Marcey, a public servant moonlighting as a waitress at a party thrown by Greg for he and his wife's wedding anniversary. Marcey sets about organizing the slightly neurotic Greg in his attempts to cover up the accident.

Reviews
Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.
Humbersi The first must-see film of the year.
Mischa Redfern I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.
Cody One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.
janetr66 I will abstain from rating this 3 part movie because after watching part one I was so annoyed by the fatal plot flaw that I lost interest in watching the rest. The acting was good, the premise intriguing, but, from the beginning, the story revolves around the unlikely assumption that Marcey, the caterer, would put herself at risk by assisting a possible murderer, lying to the police and essentially becoming an accomplice. As the plot unfolds she gets in deeper and deeper ... why??? Why would any reasonable person do that? Sorry, I just couldn't buy it.
Mark Turner The answer to the question "Can murder be funny?" is yes. Not in reality mind you but in film and novel form it's been used as a humorous element and will most likely be used as such again in the future. This week Acorn is releasing the 2003 British limited series ALIBI. And the answer to that question is very apparent.Greg (Michael Kitchen) has decided to throw a surprise anniversary party for his wife Linda (Phyllis Logan). It's an expense he can't truly afford but his affection for his wife is such that he thinks she deserves it. The event is catered and one of the catering staff is Marcey (Sophie Okonedo). Pleased to see a happy couple her happiness is short lived when she notices one of the guests, Greg's partner Martin (Tom Knight) make an affectionate gesture towards Linda who responds in kind.When all is said and done the catering staff heads home when Marcey realizes she left her purse. She heads back on her own only to find Greg dragging the dead body of Martin across the floor. At first threatening to call the police he tells her it was an accident. They were arguing, he punched him and when he fell he hit his head.Something about Greg strikes a chord with Marcey and she believes him. She helps him by telling him how to get rid of the body and goes about cleaning the room where it happened. Greg somewhat botches his end when the car catches fire drawing attention to it soon after.As Marcey returns to her daytime job at the local public assistance office, Greg panics and calls her. She meets him and tries to calm him down but all he can do is think something terrible is going to happen to him. To help him along Marcey agrees to work in his office just until things are settled.As the police investigate we wonder if Linda was indeed having an affair with Martin or not. And did Greg accidentally kill him or was it planned out in advance? And what other things were going on behind the scenes that none of the three main characters were aware of? It all unfolds in this 3 part story that switches from thriller to murder mystery to comedy in equal parts along the way.One of the nice things about the invention of DVD is that movies and shows from other countries are readily available and at prices that aren't outrageous. It gives viewers an opportunity to experience a vast number of movies, programs and series that we otherwise would have no access to. This is an excellent example of what I am talking about.The acting here is wonderful with a standout performance from Kitchen as Greg, fluctuating from rapid paced anxiety to full on anger to flustered cuckold. Okonedo does an excellent job as well as the calm woman who agrees to help someone who is could likely a murderer avoid detection and incarceration. And Logan as the beleaguered wife who may or may not be having an affair does a tremendous job as well.The odds of finding this in a rental kiosk or store are highly unlikely but for fans of British television, mysteries with a tinge of humor and something different than the standard DVD fare will want to seek this one out. While at first I wondered what would happen next by the third episode I found myself laughing aloud at the antics on screen. For entertainment value this is one worth seeking out.
Rod March I thoroughly enjoyed this engaging, but rather hard-to-peg movie. It was part thriller, part drama, part humor, part slice-of-life tale of the trials of marriage and life... Altogether entertaining, however, and the performances were believable and interesting. The two leads are marvelous.After watching it, I came here to read a bit about it and was so surprised to see that it was 2 1/2 hours long. I never looked up while I was watching it! If you had asked, I would have said 90 minutes. A definite treat if you are looking for something that follows its own path and keeps you thinking and smiling.
George Parker "Alibi" tells of a British businessman who unwittingly kills his wife's lover, is serendipitously befriended by a young woman who provides his alibi, and becomes becomes embroiled in the cover-up, police investigation, discoveries of more sinister malfeasance, domestic issues, and more. Shot in the usual made-for-TV Brit no frills style with nonstop dialogue, this very civilized flick is sufficiently busy and twisty to hold interest for most of the 2.5 hour run. On the upside is a solid cast offering good performances. On the downside is mediocre production value and no subtitles or CC. Probably a worthwhile small screener for those into contemporary Brit dramas. (B-)