Her Alibi

Last updated
Her Alibi
Heralibiposter.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Bruce Beresford
Written byCharlie Peters
Produced by Keith Barish
Starring
Cinematography Freddie Francis
Edited by Anne Goursaud
Music by Georges Delerue
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
  • February 3, 1989 (1989-02-03)
Running time
94 minutes
LanguagesEnglish
Romanian
Budget$15 million[ citation needed ]
Box office$18 million

Her Alibi is a 1989 American romantic comedy film directed by Bruce Beresford, written by Charlie Peters and starring Tom Selleck, Paulina Porizkova, William Daniels, and James Farentino.

Contents

Plot

Phil Blackwood (Selleck) is an American mystery novelist who has fallen into a rut with predictable plots and declining sales. He is floundering attempting to write a new novel, well behind schedule, and wastes time watching trials in court, where he is known as a regular among other regular spectators.

He is stunned when he sees a dazzling Romanian murder suspect named Nina (Porizkova) arraigned in the court. Instantly falling for her, he believes she cannot possibly be a murderer. To assure himself of this, he poses as a Roman Catholic priest in order to meet Nina while she is held pending her bail appearance. Finding her wearing a crucifix necklace (which would be forbidden in her communist homeland), he thinks she's innocent when she does not confess to the murder.

With the help of his friend and literary agent, Sam (Daniels), Blackwood invents an alibi ("We're having an affair.") to secure her release under his custody, and he gets Sam to help. However, after Blackwood succeeds in this, Sam raises the frightening idea that she really might be a murderer, and that Blackwood might be in danger.

Blackwood takes Nina to live under supervision in his house. However, he now finds himself alternatively entranced with her and terrified of her, as he finds himself wondering if she really could be a murderer. For one, she is extraordinarily proficient with throwing knives, as he found when she killed a large insect that was very close to him. Then there was the incident when she shot him with an arrow, an accident, of course. There are also the mysterious phone calls she makes that he overhears. He becomes so afraid that he decides to barricade his bedroom door, moving furniture up against his door, saying it is part of his exercise regimen. Although he is afraid at times, he is also fascinated, and cannot help himself.

There are plots going on around Blackwood that he does not understand, as the real murderers (operatives from Romania's Securitate), are attempting to kidnap Nina. She, too, has her own agenda of arranging the defection of her family to America. Blackwood is stumbling through all of this, as he is inspired to write scenes involving her and his series hero, but expressing the reality of both his attraction to her and his doubts and fears about her in the storyline.

Nina for her part is wondering about this man who has suddenly appeared to help her, and she has doubts about him as well. She eventually finds his manuscript in his office and reads it, and she becomes aware of his feelings and doubts. She is dismayed by his lack of faith in her, since she has begun to truly appreciate him.

This is when she runs away to be at The Funeral of Grimaldi, an event celebrated by clowns to celebrate the life of the famous clown Joseph Grimaldi. This is the climax to the film, when the Romanian agents attempt to grab her, Blackwood rushes to protect her, and her plans to defect all come to a head.

In the afterword to this story line, Nina and her family have successfully defected, Blackwood's book (Her Alibi) has been published and become a great success, and Blackwood and Nina have their happily ever after. "But then, do you ever really know the person you love?" is the final message of the film.

Cast

Reception

The film was met with negative reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 17% based on reviews from 23 critics. [1] On Metacritic it has a score of 24% based on reviews from 15 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [2]

Although it was Porizkova's best-known film appearance, her role as Nina in Her Alibi earned her a 1990 Golden Raspberry nomination for Worst Actress.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<i>A Thousand Clowns</i> 1965 film adaptation from a 1962 play by Herb Gardner

A Thousand Clowns is a 1965 American comedy-drama film directed by Fred Coe and starring Jason Robards, Barbara Harris, Martin Balsam, and Barry Gordon. An adaptation of a 1962 play by Herb Gardner, it tells the story of an eccentric comedy writer who is forced to conform to society to retain legal custody of his nephew.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Selleck</span> American actor (born 1945)

Thomas William Selleck is an American actor. His breakout role was playing private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series Magnum, P.I. (1980–1988), for which he received five Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, winning in 1985. Since 2010, Selleck has co-starred as New York City Police Commissioner Frank Reagan in the series Blue Bloods. Beginning in 2005, he has portrayed troubled small-town police chief Jesse Stone in nine television films based on the Robert B. Parker novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ric Ocasek</span> American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer (1944–2019)

Richard Theodore Otcasek, known as Ric Ocasek, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the primary co-lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the rock band the Cars. In addition to his work with the Cars, Ocasek recorded seven solo albums, and his song "Emotion in Motion" was a top 20 hit in the United States in 1986. Ocasek also worked as a record producer for artists such as Motion City Soundtrack, Suicide, Bad Brains, Weezer, Nada Surf, Guided by Voices, and No Doubt. In 2018, Ocasek was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paulina Porizkova</span> Czech-born model and writer (born 1965)

Paulina Porizkova is a Czech-born model and writer. In 1984, she became the first Central European woman to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

<i>The Intern</i> (2000 film) 2000 film

Intern is a 2000 comedy satire film directed by Michael Lange about the shallow world of fashion magazines. It stars Dominique Swain, Joan Rivers, Peggy Lipton, Paulina Porizkova and Kathy Griffin. The film features multiple cameo appearances including Tommy Hilfiger, Kenneth Cole, Diane von Fürstenberg, Kevyn Aucoin, André Leon Talley, Samia Shoaib, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

<i>Runaway</i> (1984 American film) 1984 science fiction action film directed by Michael Crichton

Runaway is a 1984 American science fiction action film written and directed by Michael Crichton, starring Tom Selleck, Gene Simmons, Cynthia Rhodes and Kirstie Alley. Selleck portrays a police officer assigned to track down dangerous robots, while Simmons is a scientist who hopes to profit from his manipulation of robots. The film was a box office disappointment and received mixed reviews.

<i>Neath the Arizona Skies</i> 1934 film

'Neath the Arizona Skies is a 1934 Western film directed by Harry L. Fraser, produced by Lone Star Productions, released by Monogram Pictures and starring John Wayne. Wayne's character attempts to locate a little girl's father, so that she may claim a $50,000 Indian oil claim. The film co-stars Sheila Terry and Shirley Jean Rickert. George "Gabby" Hayes played a featured character with a speaking role, but his name was omitted from the cast list in the opening credits.

<i>Camp Blood</i> (film) 2000 American film

Camp Blood is a 1999 American direct-to-video slasher film, written and directed by Brad Sykes. It was followed by seven official sequels, one official spin-off entitled "Ghost of Camp Blood" and one unofficial film entitled Within the Woods. Camp Blood stars Jennifer Ritchkoff as a young woman who travels to a deserted camp with her friends, only to find themselves at the mercies of a killer clown. The film had a home video release on April 4, 2000 and was released to DVD in 2002.

<i>Death and the Maiden</i> (film) 1994 film by Roman Polanski

Death and the Maiden is a 1994 mystery drama film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley and Stuart Wilson. It was based on the 1990 play of the same name by Ariel Dorfman, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Rafael Yglesias.

<i>Follow That Woman</i> 1945 film by Lew Landers

Follow That Woman is a 1945 crime film starring William Gargan, Nancy Kelly, and Regis Toomey. The movie was directed by Lew Landers.

<i>Dead & Buried</i> 1981 film by Gary Sherman

Dead & Buried is a 1981 American horror film directed by Gary Sherman, starring Melody Anderson, Jack Albertson, and James Farentino. It is Albertson’s final live-action film role before his death six months after the film’s release. The film focuses on a small town wherein a few tourists are murdered, but their corpses begin to reanimate. With a screenplay written by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett, the film was initially banned as a "video nasty" in the U.K. in the early 1980s, but was later acquitted of obscenity charges and removed from the Director of Public Prosecutions' list.

Back to the Streets of San Francisco is a 1992 American made-for-television crime drama film based on the 1972–1977 series The Streets of San Francisco. It stars Karl Malden as police detective Mike Stone and Darleen Carr as his daughter Jeannie, both cast members of the original show. It was directed by Mel Damski and broadcast on NBC on January 27, 1992.

<i>Dont Be Afraid of the Dark</i> (2010 film) 2010 film by Troy Nixey

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is a 2010 supernatural horror film written by Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins, and directed by Troy Nixey in his feature directorial debut. It is a remake of the 1973 ABC made-for-television film of the same name. The film stars Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, and Bailee Madison, as a family moving into a 19th-century Rhode Island mansion, where the withdrawn daughter (Sally) begins to witness malevolent creatures that emerge from a sealed ash pit in the basement of the house. Jack Thompson also stars in a supporting role.

<i>Female Perversions</i> 1996 American film by Susan Streitfeld

Female Perversions is a 1996 erotic drama film directed by Susan Streitfeld, based on the 1991 book Female Perversions: The Temptations of Emma Bovary by American psychoanalyst Louise J. Kaplan. It stars Tilda Swinton, Amy Madigan, Karen Sillas, Frances Fisher, Laila Robins, Paulina Porizkova, and Clancy Brown. Aspects of female psychology, particularly the more morbid, are explored through the interactions of the characters and through their fantasies.

<i>Jesse Stone: Night Passage</i> American TV series or program

Jesse Stone: Night Passage is a 2006 American made-for-television crime drama film directed by Robert Harmon and starring Tom Selleck, Saul Rubinek and Viola Davis. Based on the 1997 novel Night Passage by Robert B. Parker—the first novel in the Jesse Stone series—the film is about a former Los Angeles homicide detective who is hired as the police chief of a small New England town and finds himself immersed in a series of mysteries. Filmed on location in Nova Scotia, the story is set in the fictitious town of Paradise, Massachusetts. Jesse Stone: Night Passage is the second in a series of nine television films based on Parker's Jesse Stone novels. The film first aired on the CBS television network January 15, 2006.

<i>The Paperboy</i> (2012 film) American film by Lee Daniels

The Paperboy is a 2012 American crime drama film co-written and directed by Lee Daniels and based on Pete Dexter's 1995 novel of the same name. The novel was inspired by a true story. It follows Miami reporter Ward Jansen who returns to his hometown in Florida to investigate a murder case involving a death row inmate. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, David Oyelowo, John Cusack and Macy Gray.

Cassandra Rawlins is a fictional character from the American soap opera The Young and the Restless. She was portrayed by Nina Arvesen from March 3, 1988, to March 4, 1991. Hall was the character's maiden name.

<i>Blood Fest</i> 2018 American film

Blood Fest is a 2018 American comedy horror film written and directed by Owen Egerton and starring Robbie Kay, Seychelle Gabriel, and Jacob Batalon. Other cast members include Barbara Dunkelman, Nick Rutherford, and Tate Donovan, with a cameo by Zachary Levi. The film was released on Rooster Teeth's video on demand service and had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in 2018.

References

  1. "Her Alibi (1989)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  2. "Her Alibi". Metacritic .