Alibi Bye Bye: A chaotic, door-slamming mess

Is it worth your time?

If you like old-school slapstick where people run in and out of doors for twenty minutes straight, you’ll probably get a kick out of Alibi Bye Bye. It’s barely a movie, honestly—more like a filmed stage skit that forgot to take a breath. If you hate confusion or need a plot that actually makes sense, stay far away. This is for people who enjoy watching chaos for the sake of it.

The premise is actually kind of clever for a short. Two photographers, Flash and Blodgett, make a living helping cheaters build fake alibis. You know, taking photos of husbands in Atlantic City when they’re supposed to be at a conference in Chicago. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it.

Naturally, the movie turns into a total circus once everyone checks into the same hotel. There are four rooms, and the amount of running back and forth is frankly exhausting to watch. My legs hurt just looking at them.

Oddly Specific Notes

• The hotel manager looks like he’s one second away from having a total breakdown.
• I swear the same door gets slammed about fifty times in the second half.
• The timing is... well, it's fast. Sometimes too fast. You lose track of who is hiding in the closet and who is currently pretending to be a bellhop.

If you’ve seen The Big Scoop, you know the kind of manic energy these guys bring to the table. It’s not subtle. It’s not trying to win an Oscar. It’s just loud, fast, and a little bit silly.

There’s a moment with a maid that feels like it’s been dragged out for way too long. She’s just standing there with a tray, looking confused, while everyone else is busy hiding under beds. I think the director just forgot to yell 'cut' for a minute or two. It’s funny in a weird way, though.

It reminds me a bit of the frantic pacing in The Humdinger, where the plot is really just an excuse to see how many people you can fit in one frame before it bursts. Alibi Bye Bye isn't going to change your life. It’s just a weird little artifact of a time when comedy meant running in circles until you got dizzy. 😵‍💫

I’m still not sure if the husband ever actually got his alibi. I don't think it matters. By the time the credits hit, everyone is just so tired that the plot kind of evaporates. Just like that.