The Truth About Charlie (2002)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writers (WGA):

Peter Stone (1963 screenplay Charade)
Jonathan Demme (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 October 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

A young woman in Paris is about to divorce her husband when she discovers... he's dead; and all their money is gone...

Plot Keywords:

Divorce | Paris | Remake | Fake Moustache | Stars And Stripes

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

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	...	Joshua Peters
Christine Boisson	...	Commandant Dominique
Simon Abkarian	...	Lieutenant Dessalines
Christophe Salengro	...	Morgue Attendant
Philippe Fretun	...	Evidence Handler
Loïza Jacq	...	Evidence Handler (as Loeïza Jacq)
Joong-Hoon Park	...	Il-Sang Lee
Lisa Gay Hamilton	...	Lola Jansco
Ted Levine	...	Emil Zadapec

Also Known As:

Die Wahrheit über Charlie (Germany)

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English | French | Arabic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Finland:K-11 | Netherlands:6 | Canada:PG | France:U | Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:7 | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 | Australia:M | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Cimetière de Montmarte, Paris 18, Paris, France

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The movie contains numerous connections to French New Wave films. Reference is made to Tirez sur le pianiste (1960) and its star, Charles Aznavour, has a singing role at the end of this movie. Anna Karina, featured in several Jean-Luc Godard films, has a bit part.

Goofs:

Continuity: 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:

Regina Lambert: It's Regina, you know. Nobody calls me Reggie.
Joshua Peters: Nobody at all, huh?
Regina Lambert: Not til now anyway.
Joshua Peters: [smiles] Good.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ancient Evil 2: Guardian of the Underworld (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Zitherbell

When Good Directors Go Bad

Case in point: Johnathan Demme

I watched "The Truth About Charlie," last night. This is a remake of "Charade," a perennial favorite among lovers of Hitchcock-style thrillers. Made in 1963, Charade is something of an artifact, as it seems to have been made on the cusp of two eras: Old Hollywood vs. New Hollywood. It stars Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, both in the later stages of their film careers. Yet its tone and humor predate a more modern and sophisticated sensibility. One that would become increasingly cynical over time.

In fact, I actually rented "The Truth About Charlie" DVD to re-watch "Charade," which I hadn't seen in many years. Apparently, some marketing wag came up with the bright idea to distribute "The Truth About Charlie" DVD with the complete version of "Charade" on the flip-side of the DVD. It worked for me. It would have never occurred to me to rent the DVD if it didn't afford me the opportunity to watch "Charade" again.

Unfortunately, I also decided to watch the remake. Which brings me to the crux of the matter. While I was watching this disjointed, disfigured, and disgusting resemblance to a movie, it occured to me that this thing had been directed by Johnathan Demme. The same Johnathan Demme who directed "Something Wild," "Married to the Mob," and "Silence of the Lambs." How was it possible that this formerly superb craftsman of edgy, intense, character-driven films could cobble together something so ungainly, unraveled, and unprofessional? The movie literally looked as if it had been shot by a rank amateur who knew nothing about the film production process. The film didn't make any sense. In simple terms, it was execrable.