Perfect Alibi (1995) Online

***SPOILERS*** Bluebeard-like doctor Keith Bauers, Alex McArthur, gets rich by marrying rich old women and then having them slowly killed by his lovers whom the good doctor later knocks off himself. The reason he does that is to keep them from talking to the cops and worst of all sharing his late old lady's money.

Dr. Bauers get a nanny Janin, Lydie Devier,from France to look after things as he's busy doing his work on the operating table, as an air-tight alibi,if something goes fatally wrong like his wife ODing on drugs back at home. Dr. Bauers is planning to do in his latest wife of eight years whom he has two lovely children with Melanie, Kathleen Quinlan. Melanie also happens to have a three million inheritance that Bauers will get after she's knocked off or better yet made to look like she's OD'ed on sleeping pills.

Melanie's sister Paula, Anne Ramsay, smells a rat in Dr. Bauers when she catches him with the nanny making out in the back yard when Mrs' Bauers is away at her job at the local antiques shop. It's then that Paula hires private detective Franklin Dupard, Charles Martin Smith,to check out the two and see what their up to. Janine gets the drop on Palua and causes her to have a fatal accident by shoving her down a flight of stairs breaking her neck and then drenching her body with booze to make it look like it was the bottle, not Janine, that was responsible for her death.

Melanie's boss at the antique shop the plucky and nosy Laney Tobert, Teri Garr, feels that Paula's death wasn't an accident and fears for Melanie's safety by going to the police only to get shown to the door by the very annoyed Det. Ryker, Hector Elizondo. Det. Ryker has to put up with his very hungry partner Det.Onoda, Gadda Watanabe, who eats like a horse and, to Ryker's disgust and envy, doesn't as much as gain a single once. It's later when Det. Ryker checks out Dr. Bauers past that he finds that his first wife Ellen Kringle, Jenifer Shaw, died under very strange and unusual circumstances eight years ago with Dr. Bauers then girlfriend Marliyan Zakowski, Shano Palovich,being the main suspect in her death, a drug overdose. Before Miss. Zakowski could be interviewed by the local, Bolder Colorodo, police she's killed in a car crash the car provided to her, bad breaks and all, by her boyfriend Dr. Bauers.

Average made for TV suspense/crime drama with Teri Garr and Hector Elizondo making a fine team in uncovering the plot to murder Melanie Bauers by her greedy husband Dr. Keith and his coldblooded girlfriend Janine. The love sick Janine finds out very late in the movie that the good doctor was also planing to do her in just like his wife and thus keep all her money all for himself.

Thanks to a smart script and a steady hand from Writer/Director Kevin Meyer, "Perfect Alibi" is an entertaining and very likable mystery thriller. The movie starts methodically and builds up steam as the clues begin to reveal that nothing is what it seems to be. Teri Garr and Hector Elizondo are terrific as they team up to unravel the mystery, reminding me of Nick and Nora Charles, from the "Thin Man" movies. Kathleen Quinlan is excellent as Alex McArthur's tormented wife and the character roles, played by veteran actors Charles Martin Smith, Bruce McGill, Anne Ramsey and Estelle Harris are well done and provide plenty of light moments at just the right time. There's even a cameo by Rex Linn. In all, I felt like I was reading a good book by the fire.

Spoiler warning.

When the main character's sister is pushed down the stairs, the killer breaks a glass of vodka next to her, to make it appear that she's been drinking. But right before she is killed, tells her sister's business partner (Teri Garr) on the phone that she hasn't had a drink in 4 days. Yet the police never mention the results of a toxicology report! And, the characters talk about her being drunk when she fell down the stairs. Huh? Really bad mistake in this movie, which is pretty awful, overall.

Surprisingly bad, considering the great cast. Some faults: the writing isn't very good, the music is made-for-TV bad, and there is no tension at all because we already know the answer to the mystery from the first scene in the movie.

For this film was so bad that it must have been made on a budget of one dollar. Script is so predictable and trite and done a thousand and one times in other films. This one had no creative input, including most of the acting. To this viewer, Teri Garr and Hector Elizondo stole the movie with their presence. They made a terrific couple of sleuths looking for the clues.

The clues were provided by an array of bad actors. Namely Kathleen Quinn, who just forever seems bored with every role she plays. In this she sleep walks most of the time and has as much energy as a dead leaf. Alex McArthur plays her husband and sneers through most of the film to tell us he's the bad guy. Then here's the French tart, played by Lydie Denier, who I think is supposed to be sexy to us. But with her skinny body there's much to be desired. She too looks like a bimbo without a country. Anne Ramsay as the sister fares well as does Charles Martin Smith and Rex Lin. Everyone else should feel embarrassed in having appeared in this garbage.

Apparently a direct-to-video film, and with good reason. It's hard to say what's really wrong with this movie. It has a good cast, and the actors played their roles well, the plot wasn't that bad, although predictable. The direction and photography seemed OK. The film just didn't hold my interest. I guess it comes down to the script.