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:

divorce | death | remake | remake of american film | shower | 

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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

Details

Official Sites:

Universal

Country:

Germany USA

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

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,270,290, 27 October 2002, Wide Release

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:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There's a double-barreled New Wave homage in one scene, where the Widow Hippolyte character is seen loading a shop van with advertising on the side for "Les parapluies de Cousin Jacques," with a street address in Cherbourg. The shop information refers to director Jacques Demy, playing on the title of "Les parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg);" the actress loading the van is Agnès Varda, Demy's widow.

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Goofs

At the airport in Paris, Joshua says to Regina that they are now in another country. However, their only previous meeting was in Martinique. Whilst located in the Caribbean, Martinique is an overseas department of France. Thus, they are still in the same country as where they met before.

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Quotes

Lewis Bartholomew: I was wrong about you, Mrs. Lambert. Meeting the widow of a man like Lake, well, I was expecting a siren, a harpy, a shrew. But you, you have decency, dignity, what my father called gumption.
Regina Lambert: I'm very touched. You are actually quite sweet for a stars and bars company man, aren't you?
Lewis Bartholomew: You've discovered my secret side Mrs. Lambert. Keep it under your hat. Boo!

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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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Connections

Spoofs The Bride Wore Black (1968)

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Soundtracks

Jim the Jinn
Written by Otto Engelhardt, Pit Baumgartner
Performed by De Phazz
Courtesy of Universal International Music, B.V.
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

All over the map -- it doesn't know what it wants to be

At a recent Q & A session, director Jonathan Demme said he had a difficult time finding the right tone the film. Having seen the picture, I can tell you -- he still hasn't found it.

The movie, a remake of the 1963 Cary Grant-Audrey Hepburn classic Charade, may take place mostly in Paris, but it's really all over the map. It doesn't know what it wants to be. Is it a comedy? Is it a romance? Is it a thriller? For a time it tries to be all of the above -- and fails at each one.

Demme, speaking to an audience in Philadelphia following an advance screening, said the movie could have gone in vastly different directions in the editing room. For example, another version could have been much funnier. I don't doubt it. There are some good elements in place.

Mark Wahlberg, stepping into the Cary Grant role, is surprisingly debonair. This role officially puts him light-years away from his early '90s white-rapper persona. Don't get me wrong, he's still no Cary Grant -- but watching him in this film, you can easily see him as an American James Bond.

Following in Audrey Hepburn's heels is the to-die-for Thandie Newton. Combining beauty, sophistication, elegance and vulnerability, Newton more than succeeds in bringing a Hepburn-like quality to her character. She also gets boatloads more screen time than Wahlberg, which isn't a bad thing considering she's the best thing in the movie.

If only the story didn't fall apart in the second act, as all tension and suspense evaporates. Things come back together in the third act, but it's too late.

The movie also exceeds its quota of cliches. For instance, how many times have you seen foreigners in movies begin conversations in another language -- only to switch into perfect English after a couple of sentences? Well, in this movie, get ready to see it again... and again.

Then there's the car accident scene -- we hear squealing brakes and crunching metal off-screen, then Demme actually gives us a shot of a hub cap rolling across the street! The movie gives us no indication these bits are meant to be tongue-in-cheek.

There is one terrific foot chase that Demme admits is inspired by Run Lola Run. The scene has energy, suspense, humor and fun -- all things the rest of the movie tries, but fails to achieve.