The Truth About Charlie
The Truth About Charlie is a 2002 mystery film. It is a remake of Charade (1963) and an homage to François Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Player (1960) complete with the French film star Charles Aznavour, making two appearances singing his song "Quand tu m'aimes" (first in French, later in English). The film was produced, directed and co-written by Jonathan Demme, and stars Mark Wahlberg and Thandiwe Newton in the roles played by Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in Charade.
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| Directed by | Jonathan Demme |
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| Based on | Charade by Stanley Donen |
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| Cinematography | Tak Fujimoto |
| Edited by | Carol Littleton |
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| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date | 25 October 2002 |
Running time | 104 minutes |
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| Budget | $60 million |
| Box office | $7.1 million |
This version closely mirrors the plotline of the original film. It is once again set in Paris and features several famous French actors. Director Agnès Varda made a cameo appearance. Actress/chanteuse Anna Karina sings a Serge Gainsbourg song in one scene. Peter Stone, screenwriter of Charade, receives a story credit as Peter Joshua, one of the aliases Grant's character uses in the first film. Stone disliked the remake and refused to be credited under his real name. The name of Wahlberg's character in the remake is Joshua Peters. The film was poorly received by critics and was a flop at the box office, earning only $7.1 million worldwide.
Plot
British newlywed Regina Lambert lives in Paris with her husband Charles. She returns home following a short vacation, determined to divorce Charles only to discover their apartment has been stripped bare and that her husband has been murdered. The French police are in her apartment. Charles had liquidated their possessions for $1.8M and the money is missing.
Regina is soon reunited with a mysterious stranger Joshua (Mark Wahlberg) she met on her holiday. He helps her piece together the truth about the deceased Charlie and deal with three menacing people who are now following her.
Cast
- Mark Wahlberg as Lewis Bartholomew (alias Joshua Peters)
- Stephen Dillane as Charlie
- Thandiwe Newton as Regina Lambert (credited as Thandie Newton)
- Sakina Jaffrey as Sylvia
- Christine Boisson as Commandant Dominique
- Simon Abkarian as Lieutenant Dessalines
- Park Joong-hoon as Lee Il-sang
- Lisa Gay Hamilton as Lola Jansco
- Ted Levine as Emil Zadapec
- Magali Noël as Mysterious woman in black
- Tim Robbins as Carson J. Dyle
- Agnès Varda as The widow Hyppolite
- Charles Aznavour as Charles Aznavour
- Olivier Broche as Aznavour fan
- Manno Charlemagne as 'Chez Josephine' Maitre D'
- Anna Karina as Karina
- Philippe Katerine as Karina fan
- Philippe Duquesne as Café cook
- Kenneth Utt as The Late Monsieur Hyppolite
- Sotigui Kouyaté as Dealer Prophète
- Paula Moore as Ms. Hoskins
- Françoise Bertin as Woman on Train
- Jason Ainley as Smash Loser
- David Barco as Smash Champion
- Mike Diamente as Smash Referee
- Alban Lenoir as Skinhead
Reception
The Truth About Charlie received negative reviews from critics. The film holds a 34% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 135 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Newton has star quality, but this exercise in style can't hold a candle to the original."[1]