- A man who runs an alibi service for adulterous husbands gets into a jam with a new client. In trying to remedy the situation, he must rely on an alluring woman who gets his heart racing.
- Ray Elliott, a crook whose former partner Jack is under a $5 million contract, believes in statistics and runs a risk-assessment and managing business that's actually a front for a company that provides alibis to adulterous people who cheat on their partners. He does not accept giving alibis for crimes and he has just hired the alluring Lola to be his assistant. When Wendell Hatch, the reckless son of his wealthy client Robert Hatch, accidentally kills his masochist date Heather in a kinky S&M game, Ray breaks his rules to protect his own name and hire some guys to clean the bedroom and vanish the body. Sooner Ray has many problems to resolve: the police are on his tail trying to find a clue about Heather's disappearance; her jealous Mexican-American boyfriend wishes revenge against the murderer; Wendell is upset because Ray told his father about the crime; Robert is angry and hires hitman "The Mormon" to kill Ray, but the killer spares him to chase Jack. When the jealous The Mormon sees his wife Adelle flirting with Ray, he decides to kill him. With no option, Ray joins his crook friends to help him to resolve the situation.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Former conman Ray Elliott has gone straight. His company, Elliott Consulting, on the surface does financial risk assessment and management. Only his employees and clients know that it actually sets up elaborate alibis for cheating spouses. Ray's theory is that cheating does not lead to divorce, but getting caught does. He is equal-opportunity in that his clients are husbands, wives, straight, homosexual. Ethical Ray will not get involved in anything of a criminal nature, or in cases of revenge. Although the business is lucrative, he chose it as something to keep him interested in life. In fact, he gives a fee break to anybody working in a chronically-underpaid profession, such as police or teachers. Ray is trying to put his old life behind him, so he hasn't seen or spoken to his former con partner and boss Jack McAdam in years. Ray, who acted as the frontman in their partnership, learns through the grapevine that Jack is back in town and has a $5 million contract on his head. In his current business, Ray does little field work anymore, leaving it to his employees. He does still actively work on the case of wealthy Robert Hatch, his first-ever client, a chronic philanderer who refuses to divorce his wife Judith, the one in the family with the money. As a favor to Bob, Ray works directly on the case of Wendell Hatch, Bob's just about-to-be-married son, who wants to have a weekend fling before the wedding. Heather Price, Wendell's fling, is in turn cheating on her Latino boyfriend. Beyond the chronic philandering, the apple that is Wendell does not fall far off the tree as he is as gutless and stupid as his father. It is working on this case that Ray is implicated in a missing woman's and possible murder case, he knowing what happened to the woman in question, but who was not involved. Ray changes his policy just this once to get involved in hiding criminal activity of one of his clients, largely to protect himself. In that implication, Ray is doggedly pursued by Detective Bryce of the Santa Barbara Police Department, the lead investigator. Ray is introduced through some former associates to "The Mormon", an aging Mormon hitman. Although The Mormon would like information as to Jack's whereabouts, he who believes Ray knows, he wants to hire Ray for an alibi for one of his upcoming hits. Their relationship gets even more complex as the youngest of The Mormon's three wives, Adelle, a bored, sexually-aggressive woman, keeps trying to get into Ray's pants, and as The Mormon is asked to do another hit related to the missing-woman case. Ray must decide how much to trust his new associate Lola, a bright, ambitious, statuesque blonde for whom he is falling. But behind the scenes, a mysterious balding man, who is not averse to shooting to kill in his work, will most likely factor into whether Ray will escape these situations alive.—Huggo
- Ray Elliot helps people cheat on their spouses by arranging iron-clad alibis for a price. About the time he hires new assistant Lola, he learns that there's a $5 million contract out on Jack McAdam, his former partner; and that his first and longest-running client wants him to set up a "last fling" weekend for his son, who's about to get married. When the son's illicit tryst goes terribly awry, Ray has more than his share of problems: police, a jealous boyfriend, angry clients, a polygamist hitman, a coroner's assistant, and various wives converge to put Ray in danger. Can Lola be trusted? What about human nature?—<jhailey@hotmail.com>
- The crook Ray Elliott (Steve Coogan), whose former partner Jack is under a five million dollar contract, believes in statistics and runs a risk assessment and managing business; actually a front for a company that provides alibis to adulterous people that cheat their mates. He does not accept giving alibis for crimes and he has just hired the alluring Lola (Rebecca Romijn) to be his assistant. It is rumored that Jack and Ray conned a Sultan, but then Jack disappeared with Ray's cut. The sultan has put a $ 5 MM open contract on Jack.
Lola is intrigued by Ray's profession and joins him. She is a natural at lying and coming up with inventive ideas for alibis for the clients. Robert is one of Ray's oldest and first clients, and Robert has his eyes on Lola. Robert says that his son Wendell is getting married and wants a "fling" before he gets hitched. He asks Ray to handle the operations with Wendell himself. Ray books a flight under Wendell's name to a broker's conference in SFO, while he books a honeymoon suite in Santa Barbara under his own name for Wendell, and gives him a credit card to use. Ray goes to SFO and Wendell goes to Santa Barbara for his "fling" with Heather.
When Wendell Hatch (James Marsden), the reckless son of his wealthy client Robert Hatch (James Brolin), accidentally kills his masochist date Heather (Jaime King) in a kinky S&M game, Ray breaks his rules to protect his own name and hire some guys ("Putty" (Henry Rollins) is an old acquaintance who handles clean up jobs like this) to clean the bedroom and vanish the body. Ray arranges Lola as his alibi and gets her to say that they had sex in her apartment on the night of Heather's murder.
Sooner Ray has many problems to resolve: the police Detective Bryce (Debi Mazar) are on his tail trying to find a clue about the disappearance of Heather; her jealous Mexican-American boyfriend Hannibal (John Leguizamo) wishes revenge against the murderer; Wendell is upset, because Ray told his father about the crime; Robert is angry and hires the hit-man "The Mormon" (Sam Elliott) to kill Ray (As Ray and the innkeeper are the only 2 people who can link Wendell to the murder of Heather), but the killer spares him to chase Jack (and claim the $ 5 MM price on his head).
Ray tells Bryce and Hannibal that his credit card was stolen the day before it was used at the hotel. Hannibal abducts Ray and gives him a good beating. Ray tells him that Heather is dead, but he didn't do it, and gives him Wendell's name. Ray confides the whole thing to Lola. Lola believes Ray is Jack.
When the jealous The Mormon (Selma Blair) sees his wife Adelle flirting with Ray, he decides to kill him. Without any option, Ray joins his crook friends to help him to resolve the situation. Ray has his client Detective Skyes, pick up Wendell for questioning with re: to Heather's disappearance. They say that they suspect Ray of killing Heather and are bringing in the owner of the B&B to identify Ray from pictures. They take Wendell's pic as well. Wendell panics and looks at the file to see that the owner is scheduled to stay at the Ellroy hotel the following day. Then he arranges for flowers to be sent to the Mormon, addressed to Adele, from a guy named Bob. Ray meets Adele, when she goes shopping and asks her to be at the Ellroy at 6:15 pm the following day. Via Hannibal, Ray informs Bryce that something is going down at the Ellroy hotel the following day. Klump is informed that he won a contest and invited to stay at the Ellroy at the same time.
Meanwhile Lola is meeting Robert at the Ellroy at the same time. A package is delivered to Robert's wife, saying that Robert is meeting Adele at the Ellroy. Putty and the Mormon are at the Ellroy as they have been promised money for a hit job. Putty sees Adele at the hotel, and informs the Mormon. The front desk at the Ellroy is Dorothy (Deborah Kara Unger), who is client of Ray and guides Adele to Robert's room, where Lola has locked him up in the bathroom. When The Mormon calls the front desk, she guides the Mormon to Robert's room. The Mormon breaks in and finds Adele with Robert and beats up Robert. Wendell shows up to Klump's room, where Bryce was already waiting. Bryce arrests Wendell. Klump identifies Wendell as the guy who stayed with Heather the night she was killed.
The Mormon was given a photo in a briefcase, to kill Bryce at 6:15 in Klump's room. At 6:15 Mormon heads there and is arrested by the cops. Someone matching Ray is found dead in a room by housekeeping, after being shot by The Quiet Man (Jarreth Merz). But Lola realizes its not Ray, as Ray walks out of the Ellroy unharmed. Turns out Ray and The Quiet Man staged the death as Jack's, to claim the $ 5 MM bounty from the Sultan Ray and Lola leave together.
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