Product Details

• Actors: Tom Selleck, Paulina Porizkova, William Daniels, James Farentino, Hurd Hatfield
• Directors: Bruce Beresford
• Writers: Charlie Peters
• Producers: Daniel Franklin, Keith Barish, Martin Elfand
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Language: English, Romanian, Spanish
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: January 27, 1993
• Run Time: 94 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301412710
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #97,257 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

To see why Tom Selleck's movie career has been a constant uphill battle, look no further than this tepid mystery/comedy from 1989. Selleck plays a successful mystery novelist who cures a persistent case of writer's block by visiting the courtroom trial of a young Romanian woman named Nina (played by late '80s supermodel Paulina Porizkova) who has been accused of murder. He supplies the alleged murderer with an alibi--she can claim she was having an affair with him at his Connecticut country home at the time of the murder--and then he brings her to Connecticut to make the alibi look legitimate. Is she in fact a killer? Did she serve poisoned casserole to a group of dinner guests? You'd have to be a major fan of Selleck or Porizkova to want to find out what happens next, because despite a few light moments of engaging comedy this is the kind of nonsensical fluff that quickly wears out its welcome. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Mystery Romp, May 10, 2005

By 

Bobby Underwood "starlighthotel" (Manly NSW, Australia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Her Alibi (DVD)

Tom Selleck has spent his entire career after Magnum P.I. making entertaining movies that out-of-touch critics hate and the public loves. Here is one you may have missed from director Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy, Tender Mercies). It is gently moving and amusing, with some hystericaly funny moments along the way.

Tom Selleck is mystery writer Phil Blackwood and William Daniels of TV's St. Elsewhere fame is his best friend and editor Sam. Blackwood hasn't had a bestseller in some time and has been living on his reputation far too long. He needs something to break his writers block, and he may just have found it in beautiful Romanian Nina (lovely Paula Porizkova). He meets the accused murderer in court while watching trials for inspiration, and decides to become her alibi.

James Farentino is the cop who knows Blackwood is lying for the lovely Nina and decides to keep an eye on things so he doesn't get killed. Once Blackwood takes Nina to the estate his Peter Swift mystery novels have paid for, he turns every situation into fodder for his fictional Peter Swift, and you'll find youself laughing hard at Selleck's voice-over as he writes.

Some European thugs are after Nina, and Blackwood becomes increasingly paranoid and begins to suspect the child-like innocence of Nina may be an act. There are some hilarious moments as he begins to wonder if she's out to kill him. William Daniels as his buddy Sam gives fine comic support and Farentino has a good role as the cop who knows these guys are in over their heads!

The film is full of old-fashioned charm reminiscent of films made during the 1930's. Patrick Wayne and Tess Harper as Blackwood's very worried family add some nice moments to this entertaining film. I won't give too much away, but there is one scene that takes place after a huge dinner that will have you laughing as hard as you ever have at the movies. It is absolutely hilarious!

You'll like this movie a lot, especially if you like Tom Selleck, and who doesn't? It's a lot of fun to watch and since you can pick it up so inexpensively here on Amazon there's no need to wait. Pick up this one today!

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Her Alibi a modern classic, April 29, 2001

By 

Mr L Rivera (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Her Alibi (DVD)

This must be the most under-rated comedy around. Tom Selleck is at his best playing a cowardly novelist who lives out his fantasies through his creation the famous detective Peter Swift. Paulina Porizkova is disarmingly good as the alleged murderess he provides an alibi for. He spends most of the movie terrified of her, wondering if she really is a psycho on the one hand and falling in love with her on the other. There are some great set pieces here, but the best comedy flows from the book he is writing about their situation. The most mundane events become incredible overblown adventures, its kind of hard to explain but trust us its hilarious.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is a very funny movie., June 28, 2000

By 

C. E. Miles (O'Fallon, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Her Alibi (DVD)

I have been a Tom Selleck fan for many, many years, and this is probably my favorite Tom Selleck film. As many may have noted from his recent appearances on "Friends" Selleck has a great feel for comedy and its timing.

In this movie Selleck plays struggling mystery novelist Phillip Blackwood. It has been some time since Blackwood has produced a hit book and his publisher is about to drop him. Looking for inspiration Blackwood sits in the back of a courtroom observing cases. Along comes Nina, a Romanian woman accused of a grizzly murder. Convinced of her innocence, Blackwood provides an alibi to the beautiful foreigner to get her released from jail. Suddenly he realizes that he may have just released a killer from prison and the only thing standing between her and complete freedom is him.

Selleck is hilarious as the struggling writer who begins to write a book based on the experiences he has with the stranger now living with him. What makes this movie truly funny is watching the usually macho Selleck living in fear of a woman barely half his size. The voice over dialogue he uses while writing the book is priceless.

It is truly enjoyable to watch Selleck make fun of the persona he spent so many years playing in "Magnum P.I." This is a great film, and one I had to have in my collection.