The Truth About Charlie (2002)

A woman returns from holiday to find her husband has been murdered, and several groups of people are pressuring her to unravel the mystery of his true identity and activities during his final days.

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writers:

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

Stars:

Mark Wahlberg, Thandie Newton, Tim Robbins

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...

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Plot Keywords:

ex soldier | female police officer | divorce | death | remake | 

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The part of Joshua Peters was originally intended for Will Smith, but due to the extended production on Ali (2001), he was unable to make the start of filming on Charlie, so Demme had to move forward with Mark Wahlberg instead, losing the Thandie Newton and Will Smith "double-act" he had imagined watching the original movie Charade (1963).

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Goofs

There is a red, British phone booth in the Paris flea market.

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Quotes

Regina Lambert: You're a good listener
Joshua Peters: No. You're a good talker.

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Crazy Credits

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

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Alternate Versions

The DVD release in includes several deleted scenes totaling to about eleven minutes. Among them are more of the visit with the Commandant, Regina mistaking a flirtatious man for Joshua, the opening of the mysterious package, and a flashback when Il-Sang, Emil, and Lola are in the army and Emil is playing bluegrass on his guitar.

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Connections

Spoofs The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

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Soundtracks

Zitherbell
Written by Natacha Atlas and Andrew Cronshaw
Performed by Natacha Atlas
Courtesy of Mantra Recordings/Beggars Banquet
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

A travesty of a remake puts all to shame

REVIEW: The Truth About Charlie, for IMDB, July 13, 2004

As "rosscinema" says in a previous post, "Why did they bother?" Well, they bothered for the same reason virtually all Hollywood films are made: to make **MONEY**, lots of MONEY! No one in their right mind would attempt to duplicate two so magic stars as Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn from the original "Charade", but some studio type thought they could cost in on the deserved reputation of the original for excellence, and make a bundle before the critics and the public got to see what a stinker this would-be remake is. Mark Wahlberg may have a certain presence, but a Cary Grant his is NOT and never will be; and that woman taking Hepburn's part was simply pathetic, what with her little moues of pseudo-British mouthings. Audrey, who was the quintessence of delicate dignity and charm, would spin in her grave, if she could. And with the change of dating to reflect, not the Second World War, but post-Vietnam, the entire tenor of the original was changed from a charming 'escapade-avec-larceny', to a mad chase with the modern dictum of 'diversity' with a cast more suited to a tract on multiculturalism, than anything having to do with telling a coherent story! The 'stamps' were well explained in the original, but here they are a throwaway plot device that more confuses than illuminates. And 'la belle Paris', mon Dieu, how it is ignored and abused in this tawdry effort; what was charming even in the face of murder and crime in the original, is merely seedy here. There is no magic between the stars as in "Charade", just some groping. And where was the duplicate of the crafty Walter Matthau character? Tim Robbins is a good actor, but here he is no replacement for the Mr. Dyle. And that dismal woman who is the police inspector is merely awful in this tiresome flick. If you have never seen "Charade" you must not let this failure make you think the original is as bad, for you would be denying yourself one of the finest delights of the modern screen, and the sight of two of its greatest luminaries, Grant and Hepburn, in very good form!

Details

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English French Arabic

Release Date:

25 October 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Truth About Charlie

Filming Locations:

France

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,270,290, 27 October 2002

Gross USA:

$5,350,371

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,093,284

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Mediastream Zweite Film GmbH & Co. Productions KG, Clinica Estetico

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1