The Truth About Charlie (2002)

A young woman in Paris is about to divorce her husband when she discovers... he's dead; and all their money is gone. She meets a mysterious man, who tells her that the money was really his,... See full summary »

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writers:

Peter Stone (based on the motion picture "Charade" screenplay by), Jonathan Demme (screenplay),

Stars:

Olga Sékulic, Thandie Newton, Mark Wahlberg

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Olga Sékulic	...	Junior Military Officer
Stephen Dillane	...	Charlie
Françoise Bertin	...	Woman on Train
Thandie Newton	...	Regina Lambert
Cassius Kumar Wilkinson	...	Hercules
Sakina Jaffrey	...	Sylvia
Mark Wahlberg	...	Lewis Bartholamew
Christine Boisson	...	Commandant Dominique
Simon Abkarian	...	Lieutenant Dessalines
Christophe Salengro	...	Morgue Attendant
Philippe Fretun	...	Evidence Handler
Loeïza Jacq	...	Evidence Handler
Joong-Hoon Park	...	Il-Sang Lee
LisaGay Hamilton	...	Lola Jansco
Ted Levine	...	Emil Zadapec

Storyline

A young woman in Paris is about to divorce her husband when she discovers... he's dead; and all their money is gone. She meets a mysterious man, who tells her that the money was really his, and he wants it back, seemingly convinced that she's hiding the cash. Meanwhile, more people end up dead...

---

Plot Keywords:

divorce | deception | beret | slow motion scene | subway station | 

---

Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence and sexual content/nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Universal

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English French Arabic

Release Date:

25 October 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

La verdad sobre Charlie

Filming Locations:

Cimetière de Montmarte, Paris 18, Paris, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$34,676 (South Africa) (29 August 2003)

Gross:

$34,676 (South Africa) (29 August 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Magnet Entertainment, Clinica Estetico

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The part of Joshua Peters was originally intended for Will Smith, but due to extended production on Ali he was unable to meet start of filming on Charlie, so Demme had to move forward with Mark Wahlberg instead, losing the Thandie Newton/Will Smith "double-act" he had imagined watching the original movie Charade.

---

Goofs

After Regina is attacked by Zadapec in the elevator and Joshua pulls him off her, he tells her to take the elevator up and you see the elevator start going up. However, the next camera shot from her view is with the elevator going down.

---

Quotes

Cmndt. Dominique: We took the liberty of calling your tailor. We thought perhaps we would learn something.
Regina Lambert: Did you?
Cmndt. Dominique: Yes. Your dress is ready.

---

Crazy Credits

Just as the reference for Francois Truffaut's "Tirez sur le Pianiste" is shown, a shot of Truffaut's grave is inserted.

---

Connections

Remake of Charade (1963)

---

Soundtracks

"It's More Expensive for This"
Written by Snooze, Moritz Von Oswald, Mark Ernestus
Performed by Snooze
Courtesy of SSR/Crammed Discs
By Arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group

User Reviews

In an overall comparison between the "Charade" and `Charlie,' the latter is the imposter-no ambiguity intended.

So Cary grant and Audrey Hepburn are unfortunately dead. That means director Jonathan Demme (`Silence of the Lambs') must find suitable replacements for his remake of `Charade' called `The Truth about Charlie.' Will Smith was his first choice-Mark Wahlberg (`Planet of the Apes') took the Grant role. Thandi Newton (`Mission Impossible 2') plays Hepburn's role. Neither carries the film, which requires a certain amount of international sophistication and charm.

Set in Paris, `The Truth about Charlie' starts with a murder and the victim's money, which everyone seems to want. It has touches of the old American love of Paris, e.g., the tower appears regularly. But it is a more modern Paris than the original film's: Cinematographer Tak Fujimoto (`Signs' `The Silence of the Lambs') said, `We wanted to make the city feel mysterious and scary. We wanted it overcast and gray-different from the traditional view of Paris, more realistic, more paranoid.'

A Ferris-wheel scene with Wahlberg and Tim Robbins, who reprises the Walter Matthau role, evokes the mystery and danger of Sir Carol Reed's `Third Man.' That most American of images, the incarcerated Hannibal Lecter, ends the film with a fitting tribute to his invulnerability.

Back to Wahlberg and Newton. The success of the film, then and now, rests with the leads, and they failed. Wahlberg is flat, expressionless, 2 dimensional. Newton lacks the acting chops to navigate the aftershocks of a husband's murder and the barrage of interest in his money, hidden somewhere in plain sight. Robbins comes closest to a screen presence, part mountebank, part protector, and part enigma.

The original title `Charade' better expresses the delicious ambiguity of European intrigue where nothing is as it seems, and people are not what they appear. In this regard, `Charlie' fulfills the promise. For a modern look, it also succeeds.

But in an overall comparison between the 2 films, `Charlie' is the imposter-no ambiguity intended.