The Truth About Charlie
The Players: Mark Wahlberg, Thandie Newton, Tim Robbins, Stephen Dillane; directed by Jonathan Demme
The Skinny: In this remake of Charade (1963) starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, Newton plays a young woman who learns her husband is dead and all their money is gone. Making matters worse, a strange man (Wahlberg) appears, saying the money was his and he wants it back, as he’s sure she still has it.
The Bottom Line: It’s never a great idea to remake a film that consistently lands on lists of best movies. (You don’t see Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez starring in Casablanca at a theater near you, do you?) Let’s look at the negatives: Casting Wahlberg, of all people, in a role done expertly by Cary Grant could be called a travesty. Now look at the positives: Charlie co-writer Peter Stone wrote Charade, Demme‘s an Oscar winner, and how many of today’s moviegoers have seen Charade anyway?
Opens: Oct. 25
