The Truth About Charlie

2002

The Truth About Charlie

Critics Consensus

Newton has star quality, but this exercise in style can't hold a candle to the original.

34%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 134

27%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 10,138

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The Truth About Charlie Photos

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Movie Info

Director Jonathan Demme filters the classic Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant vehicle Charade through the influence of the French New Wave in this stylish romantic thriller. Regina Lambert (Thandie Newton) has been having second thoughts about her marriage to the often enigmatic art dealer Charlie (Stephen Dillane), and decides to take a vacation without him, where she meets Joshua Peters (Mark Wahlberg), a handsome and charming American who seems quite taken with her. When Regina returns home to Paris, she receives the startling news that her husband has been murdered; however, even more disturbing is her discovery that her husband had a secret life which involved several passports under different identities, and a missing six million dollars. Police official Commandant Dominique (Christine Boisson) seems to believe that Regina is somehow involved in the crime, while U.S. embassy representative Mr. Bartholomew (Tim Robbins) breaks the news to Regina that her late husband was actually a secret agent involved in some very shady operations. Three mysterious and dangerous figures who had ties to Charlie -- Emil Zadapec (Ted Levine), Lola Jansco (Lisa Gay Hamilton), and Il-Sang Lee (Joong-Hoon Park) -- also arrive in Paris, convinced that Regina knows where her husband stashed the money and determined to get their hands on it. Meanwhile, as Regina's life becomes increasingly chaotic and dangerous, Joshua arrives in Paris and a romance begins to blossom between them, but while he seems determined to do whatever he can to help her, Regina soon has reason to doubt that Joshua's motives are as pure as they seem. Shot on location in Paris, The Truth About Charlie also features cameo appearances from a number of legendary French actors and filmmakers, including Charles Aznavour, Anna Karina, and Agnès Varda.

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Cast

Thandie Newton
as Regina Lambert
Mark Wahlberg
as Joshua Peters
Tim Robbins
as Mr. Bartholomew
Joong-Hoon Park
as Il-Sang Lee
Ted Levine
as Emile
Lisa Gay Hamilton
as Lola
Christine Boisson
as Dominique
Stephen Dillane
as Charlie
Anna Karina
as Karina
Magali Noël
as Mysterious Woman in Black
Agnès Varda
as The Widow Hyppolite
Charles Aznavour
as Himself
Simon Abkarian
as Lieutenant Dessalines
Frédérique Méninger
as Madame du Lac
Sakina Jaffrey
as Sylvia
Olga Sekulic
as Junior Military Officer
Françoise Bertin
as Woman on Train
Cassius Kumar Wilkinson
as Hercules
Christophe Salengro
as Morgue Attendant
Philippe Fretun
as Evidence Handler
Loeiza Jacq
as Evidence Handler
Saian Supa Crew
as Themselves
James Brooks
as Jordan Castor
Raphaelle Gallizzi
as Romantic Taxi Driver
Michel Cremades
as Amiable Desk Clerk
Denis Jousselin
as Hotel Barman
Christian Wojtowicz
as Lonely Clown
Marine Danaux
as Hotel Langlois Chambermaid
Olivier Broche
as `Aznavour Fan' Desk Clerk
Wilfred Benaiche
as Toy Store Manager
Catherine Chevron
as Toy Store Salesgirl
Lionel Elie
as African Dignitary
Tony Amoni
as Undercover ODC
Eric Aufevre
as Undercover ODC
Hubert Ravel
as Undercover Cop
Pascal Permentier
as Undercover Cop
Cheikna Sankare
as Undercover Cop
Mustapha Bensittu
as Undercover Cop
Chantal Banlier
as Undercover Cop
Patrice Keller
as Undercover Cop
Benjamin Euvrard
as Ticket Agent
Feniksi
as Saian Supa Crew Member
Leeroy Kesiah
as Saian Supa Crew Member
Sir Samuel
as Saian Supa Crew Member
Sly the Mic Buddah
as Saian Supa Crew Member
Specta
as Saian Supa Crew Member
Vicelow
as Saian Supa Crew Member
Jean-Marc Bihour
as Cafe Waiter
Philippe Duquesne
as Cafe Cook
Manno Charlemagne
as Chez Josephine Maitre d'
Philippe Katerine
as Karina Fan
Pierre Carre
as Bistro Singer
Rene Comte
as Shouting Waiter
Kate Castle
as Flea Market Bargain Hunter
Robert Castle
as Flea Market Bargain Hunter
Kenneth Utt
as The Late Monsieur Hyppolite
Sotigui Kouyaté
as Dealer Prophete
Georges Trillat
as Angry Man on Metro
Ramona Demme
as Young Girl with Pug
Paula Moore
as Ms. Hoskins
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News & Interviews for The Truth About Charlie

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Critic Reviews for The Truth About Charlie

All Critics (134) | Top Critics (39)

  • Demme's movie is so benign--he likes all his characters, even the villains--it feels like a game of "let's pretend." It's a movie for movie lovers--playful, hip and light as a feather.

    Nov 1, 2007 | Full Review…

    David Ansen

    Newsweek
    Top Critic

  • I realize that Mark Wahlberg is not Cary Grant, but shouldn't there be some compensating reason for his presence in this movie?

    Jan 16, 2003

    Peter Rainer

    New York Magazine/Vulture
    Top Critic

  • The truth is that The Truth About Charlie gets increasingly tiresome.

    Nov 9, 2002 | Full Review…

    David Edelstein

    Slate
    Top Critic

  • It's a forgery that diminishes not only the originality and pleasure of the film it copies, but also the entire school of filmmaking it wants to emulate.

    Nov 6, 2002 | Full Review…

    Rex Reed

    Observer
    Top Critic

  • May not be and should not be everyone's cup of tea, but at the end of it, I felt a guilty affection for all its participants.

    Nov 6, 2002 | Full Review…

    Andrew Sarris

    Observer
    Top Critic

  • The affectionate loopiness that once seemed congenital to Demme's perspective has a tough time emerging from between the badly dated cutesy-pie mystery scenario and the newfangled Hollywood post-production effects.

    Oct 29, 2002

    Michael Atkinson

    Village Voice
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (134)

Audience Reviews for The Truth About Charlie

  • Apr 10, 2013
    Very cool film that doesn't quite approach the level of Matt Damon in the Bourne series but is nonetheless tremendously entertaining with many delightful and unexpected cameos.
    John B Super Reviewer
  • Jun 14, 2011
    Tak Fujimoto and Jonathan Demme have shot this a lot hipper than anyone half their age could. Thandie Newton is great & funny, magically cute at few moments, and beautiful the rest of the time. She would make a fine, and definitely sexier, replacement for Audrey Hepburn in several films. The writers seem to have assumed that since no one can compete with Cary Grant, Mark Wahlberg shouldn't have good lines to work with. The homages to the French New Wave are clever and prettily situated, but they dispel the suspense atmosphere, and -- for me -- make the movie look like it's catering to anglophone snobs who can't stand a mere thriller. And Demme doesn't want to do a mere thriller that's hipper and more involving than usual. He casts the bad guys as an ethnic rainbow, and it turns out none of them are really bad, just misunderstood and misunderstanding other people. (Scary hook-hand guy from the original is now just a big lunk who requires electroacupuncture so he doesn't expire from cardiopulmonary stress -- I'm serious.) Each of the bad guys even hates violence; the only one comfortable with it is a betrayed 50s straight-arrow military type that was too unhip to be in the original Charade. Demme's kind of liberalism seems to aspire not only to banish all sense of menace from society, but also from its movie genres. (Star rating for Tak Fujimoto and Thandie Newton.)
    Adam M Super Reviewer
  • Dec 11, 2010
    Have you ever watched a movie and thought that you've seen it already. That happened to me with this movie. It was as interesting the second time as the first. The only thing I could remember from the first time to the second was that stamps were involved. The movie is a whodunit, except from the point of view of a new wife who returns from a vacation and finds her husband has been murdered. It takes the whole movie for her and the viewers to find out about the husband's prior life and who killed him and why.
    Red L Super Reviewer
  • Dec 02, 2009
    Loved the audio and visual styles. Somewhat blah ending though.
    Ed K Super Reviewer
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