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The Truth About Charlie 2002 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Jonathan Demme
PG-13, 104 min. (violence, sensuality, brief nudity) |
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Starring: Thandie Newton, Mark Wahlberg, Tim Robbins, Christine Boisson, Joong-Hoon Park, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Ted Levine
Producers: Jonathan Demme, Peter Saraf, Edward Saxon
Screenplay: Jonathan Demme, Steve Schmidt, Peter Joshua, Jessica Bendinger
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Released: 10/25/02 (Wide) |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
Director Jonathan Demme's The Truth About Charlie, a remake of Charade starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant,
is more of a vehicle for presenting some frenetic camera angles and unusual imagery for Demme's distinctive style than any serious re-examination of the storyline. The most
this film could hope for was good, believable performances from its cast, since the orginal film is clearly superior on almost
every level. Of course, it begs the question why a remake of what many consider a classic is really necessary. Well, at
the very least, The Truth About Charlie has solidified the Audrey Hepburn-like talents of Thandie Newton, whose elegant
performance is clearly one of the year's best to date. Her beauty vibrates on screen much like Hepburn did during her
celebrated career, and it's becoming obvious her roles in Hollywood will begin to increase following this effort. Although I
can't quite recommend the film, Newton's performance is worth seeking out.
Newton's career has been one of anonymity to most mainstream moviegoers over the last decade. She burst onto the scene
in 1991's Flirting, also starred in another Demme film, Beloved, and most recently appeared as the object of affection in
Mission: Impossible 2.
But here, she's clearly at the center of every scene, every frame. Newton is warm, beautiful, charming, and has a vulnerable
likability that seduces the viewer from the first scene. She also has considerable acting ability, as evidenced
by her commanding presence over her co-star, Mark Wahlberg. She's so good, it's difficult to watch Wahlberg struggle to
keep up. This is actress that demands a top-notch performance from her counterparts. Unfortunately, aside from Tim Robbins'
authoritative role, there's not much on hand to play off of her effectively. Rarely have I seen a film so dominated by one
performance over all others. This is Newton's picture completely.
The story remains loyal to Charade with few exceptions. Newton plays Regina Lambert, the recent widow of
Charles Lambert, a wealthy man whose involvement in a diamond theft while in the military years ago has put Regina in
danger. Charlie's ex-partners in crime (Joong-Hoon Park, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Ted Levine) have surfaced to claim the money
that they believe Regina is hiding. Of course, Regina is clueless, and when the Paris police become involved, she turns
to one of the detectives (Christine Boisson) for help. Meanwhile, too-good-to-be-true new friend Joshua Peters (Mark Wahlberg)
also has an intense interest in the money's whereabouts. Complicating matters is Mr. Bartholomew (Tim Robbins), a U.S.
government official who warns Regina of her impending danger and directs her to relay any information she discovers about
her late husband's hidden money to him first. But, of course, everything isn't as clear cut as it seems.
Demme has an interesting use for locations and varying degrees of camera movements and angles, including distant shots
and uncommon close-ups to portray the sense of chaos that is in Regina's mind. In his masterpiece The Silence of the Lambs,
he uses atmosphere and eerie locations to provide a sense of dread and danger lurking at every turn. Much as he did with
Jodie Foster, he puts Newton in positions to allow her character to grow beyond its written lines. The film was mostly shot
in Paris, where we get a much more authentic feel for the city than, say, the sanitized version presented in last year's
Amelie.
What the film lacks, however, is the pure fun that is clearly evident in Charade. The characters in this film are relatively
boring, cardboard figures that have no real impact on the audience. Scenes move from one to the next with little sense
of definitive direction. At times choppy and distant, the film lacks the intimacy provided by Charade, instead intent on
mixing bizarre musical numbers with sloppy transitions and uneventful action pieces. In the final analysis, The Truth About Charlie has one
great performance and not much else. It's a credit to Newton's effectiveness that when you leave the theater you're pretty
sure you've seen a decent film, only to be fooled into thinking so by an actor at the top of her game.
© 2002 Jonathan Cornwell
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 |
 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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