Her Alibi (1989)

Director:

Bruce Beresford

Writer (WGA):

Charlie Peters (written by)

Release Date:

3 February 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

Falling for a beautiful woman can be murder!

Plot:

A writer of BAD detective novels is in full writers' block. He pretends to be the alibi of a beautiful...

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Writer's Block | Country House | Shot In The Butt | Trashcan

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Tom Selleck	...	Phil Blackwood
Paulina Porizkova	...	Nina
William Daniels	...	Sam
James Farentino	...	Frank Polito
Hurd Hatfield	...	Troppa
Ronald Guttman	...	'Lucy' Comanescu
Victor Argo	...	Avram
Patrick Wayne	...	Gary Blackwood
Tess Harper	...	Sally Blackwood
Bill Smitrovich	...	Farrell
Bobo Lewis	...	Rose
Jane Welch	...	Millie
Austin Hay	...	Oliver
W. Benson Terry	...	FX
Joan Copeland	...	Audrey
Liliana Komorowska	...	Laura
Alan Mixon	...	Nina's Father
Barbara Caruso	...	Nina's Mother
Marlene Bryan	...	Laurie
William Aylward	...	Greg
Sara E. Pfaff	...	Heather Blackwood
Trevor Soponis	...	Tony Blackwood
David Chandler	...	Eugene Mason
Bill Grimmett	...	Cop
Ted Sutton	...	Cop
Brian Costantini	...	Cop
Norman Fitz	...	Judge
Nat Benchley	...	Prosecutor
T.J. Edwards	...	Defender
John Badila	...	Defender
Leonard Auclair	...	Jack the Author
Dick Harrington	...	Henry the Neighbor
Corazon Adams	...	Consuela
Lisa Nicholas	...	Waitress
Hank DeLuca	...	Ian the Editor
Joann Havrilla	...	Woman at Lecture
Pankaj Talwar	...	Dr. Singh
Dick Rizzo	...	Knife Clerk
Joseph Eubanks	...	Cocktail Man
Lucia Vincent	...	Cocktail Lady
Vivienne Shub	...	Cocktail Lady
Kathleen Goldpaugh	...	Cocktail Lady
Margaret M. Zindulka	...	Cocktail Lady
Patrick McDade	...	Federal Agent
Allen Fitzpatrick	...	Federal Agent
Gregory A. Fessler	...	Store Manager
Edward Conery	...	Bernardini's Lawyer
Brian Desmond	...	Court Officer
Christi Cole	...	Corrections Officer
Kay Lawal	...	Corrections Officer
Renee Zorn	...	Corrections Officer
Wilfred Williams	...	Frank's Partner
Gary Lee Leventhal	...	Detective
Charles Cotel	...	Security Guard
Michael Bongar	...	Clown
Beth K. Bongar	...	Clown
David Avery	...	Clown
Mark Conway	...	Clown
Ellen O. Van Edwards	...	Clown
Jeffrey Gordon	...	Clown
Kenneth Horsman	...	Clown
David Kohn	...	Clown
Elan Koszuk	...	Clown
Shawn Lortie	...	Clown
Richard Nasch	...	Clown
Joey Perillo	...	Clown
Steven Poretskin	...	Clown
Bruce Robertson Smith	...	Clown
David Sharps	...	Clown
William Shaw	...	Clown
Ray Solimeno	...	Clown
Mark Stolzenberg	...	Clown
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Russell	...	Clown
Lisa M. DeHaven	...	Female Author (uncredited)

Directed by
Bruce Beresford

Writing credits (WGA)
Charlie Peters		(written by)

Produced by
Keith Barish	....	producer
Martin Elfand	....	executive producer
Daniel Franklin	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Georges Delerue

Cinematography by
Freddie Francis		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Anne Goursaud

Casting by
Ken Carlson

Production Design by
Henry Bumstead

Art Direction by
Steven Walker

Set Decoration by
James W. Payne

Costume Design by
Ann Roth

Makeup Department
Medusah	....	hair department head

Production Management
Daniel Franklin	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Richard Coad	....	second assistant director
Ronnie Rondell Jr.	....	second unit director
Tracy Rosenthal-Newsom	....	second second assistant director (as Tracy Rosenthal)
Richard Luke Rothschild	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Robert DePatis	....	construction coordinator
Sara Gardner-Gail	....	second leadperson
Mentor Huebner	....	production illustrator
Susan Kessel	....	props
Henry Larrecq	....	assistant art director
Melody Levy	....	scenic artist
Ted Lubonovich II	....	propmaker
Robert Pawloski	....	swing gang
Stuart Sperling	....	swing gang
Philip Steuer	....	property master
Michael Taylor	....	lead man
Michael Taylor	....	second set decorator
Lorraine Walker	....	props
Keith Weaver	....	scenic
Brook Yeaton	....	set dresser
Robert Misetich	....	head paint foreman (uncredited)
John Sigmon	....	swing set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
Bruce Bisenz	....	production sound mixer
Dody Dorn	....	adr editor
Julia Evershade	....	supervising sound editor
Kimberly Harris	....	sound effects editor
Ellen Heuer	....	foley artist
John Hoeren	....	dialogue editor
Robert J. Litt	....	sound re-recording mixer
James Matheny	....	dialogue editor
Cybele O'Brien	....	assistant sound editor
Greg Orloff	....	foley mixer
Mark Pappas	....	foley editor
John Roesch	....	foley artist
Greg P. Russell	....	sound re-recording mixer
David Sanucci	....	boom operator
Pat Suraci	....	boom operator
Elliot Tyson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paul C. Warschilka	....	assistant sound editor
Thomas Whiting	....	adr editor

Special Effects by
Guy Faria	....	special effects coordinator
David Simmons	....	special effects

Stunts
G.A. Aguilar	....	stunts (as George Aguilar)
Lisa Brooks	....	stunts
Steven Chambers	....	stunts (as Steve Chambers)
Jeffrey J. Dashnaw	....	stunts (as Jeff Nashnow)
Marcia Holley	....	stunts (as Marcia Holly)
Norman Howell	....	stunts
Chuck Jeffreys	....	stunts
Sean Kelly	....	stunts
Rick Le Fevour	....	stunts
Stacy Logan	....	stunts
Tom Lupo	....	stunts
Eddie Matthews	....	stunts (as Ed Mathews)
Larry Nicholas	....	stunts
Jimmy Nickerson	....	stunts
John Nordlum	....	stunts
David Perna	....	stunts (as David L.Perna)
Kristyn Randall	....	stunts
Ronnie Rondell Jr.	....	stunt coordinator
R.A. Rondell	....	stunts
Cris Thomas-Palomino	....	stunts (as Chris Palomino)
Bob Yerkes	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
John D. Burkley	....	chief lighting technician
Don Cerrone	....	key grip
Edward Cold	....	camera operator
François Duhamel	....	still photographer
Michael Fedack	....	dolly grip
Rodney French	....	grip
Richard Gioia	....	second assistant camera
Jonathan Herron	....	first assistant camera
David Houlle	....	best boy electric
Stan Kozma	....	rigging gaffer
Bob Marshak	....	still photographer
Charles Quinlivan	....	best boy grip
Erich Roland	....	Steadicam operator
Lee Shapira	....	grip
Richard Speed	....	rigging gaffer
Josh Spring	....	electrician
Joel David Warren	....	still photographer (as Joel Warren)

Casting Department
Laurie Rome	....	casting assistant
John Strawbridge	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
David Davenport	....	costumer
Gary Jones	....	assistant costume designer
Donna Maloney	....	wardrobe supervisor
Jeanne Mascia	....	costumer
David Mayreis	....	wardrober
Kathy Oberlin	....	costume constructor

Editorial Department
Craig Conwell	....	first assistant editor
Maggie Ostroff	....	assistant editor
Jimmy Sandoval	....	first assistant editor
Lisa M. Varney	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Tom Boyd	....	musician: oboe soloist
Frank Fitzpatrick	....	music supervisor
Frank Fitzpatrick	....	supervising music editor

Transportation Department
Charles E. Bauer	....	driver
Michael Luckeroth	....	driver

Other crew
Jim Barr	....	production accountant
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Andrew M. Flinn	....	production assistant
Granville Greene	....	production assistant
Annette Haywood-Carter	....	script supervisor
Elizabeth Holder	....	production assistant
Solomon J. LeFlore	....	production financing
Karin Reznack	....	assistant to producer
Katherine Shaw	....	assistant to director
Robert Werden	....	unit publicist
David Hakim	....	publicity writer (uncredited)
Walter Hall	....	location manager (uncredited)
Karl Otter	....	stand-in: Hurd Hatfield (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures (presents)

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1989) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1989) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1989) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1989) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1989) (UK) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1989) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1989) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (1989) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Argentina Video Home (2000) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1991) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Bros. (2000) (Argentina) (all media)
• Warner Home Video (199?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2000) (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Atlantic Cine Equipment  cranes and remote heads
• Cinema Research  opticals

Also Known As:

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Romanian | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Argentina:13 | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-8 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:15 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | UK:PG | Singapore:PG | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Final theatrical film of Hurd Hatfield.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Phil and Sam are in the restaurant at the beginning, and the camera is on Phil, a couple stroll by outside the window. The man has a boombox on his shoulder. The shot cuts to Sam and then cuts right back to Phil, and that same couple is strolling by the window in the same spot.

Quotes:

Nina:[Greeting Phil, who is sitting at the kitchen table] Did you sleep well?
Phil Blackwood:Sure! Why not? And you?
Nina:Hmm... okay.
Phil Blackwood:[Noticing she has one of his books in her hands] You're reading one of my books... I thought you were strictly Proust and Dostoevsky?
Nina:Well, I could not go to sleep last night and I knew this would help.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Starz Inside: Fashion in Film (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

FALLING IN LOVE

How do you say in Romanian, get lost dick-face! Tremendous Fun

Philip Blackwood is a depressed writer who's lost his spark and his passion for writing. His successful detective character is the subject of endless predictable stories and his agent is on his back trying to get him to turn it around. As he goes to court with the usual oldies who attend in order to have something to Gossip about up steps the beautiful Nina, an eastern European arrested for murdering a fellow countryman with a pair of scissors. Tom Selleck decides to act as her alibi (Hey it's the title of the film as well!) and invites her to live with him as he believes she is innocent. As the police detective that drops by to chat with Philip Blackwood informs him, if the alibi is made up then he is not only a perjurer, but more importantly, he is liable to be the next victim in order for the alibi to stand forever. What follows is a series of ridiculous escapades in which Philip's life is under threat at every stage of the day, never knowing if the lovely Nina is a cold blooded killer or just deadly unlucky.

I had the fortune to get this film out of the video library on a whim and wound up falling in love with the film as much as Blackwood does with Nina, the parallels between his super-cool fictional world and the clumsy long suffering Blackwood are fantastic, and all the supporting cast do a great job.

Don't get me wrong, this is not an Annie Hall or a when harry met sally, it's silly ridiculous and as Farantino says "I gotta say, Phil, You're works a little predictable!" but it's still a good watch and a very fun film.