Review: 'The Truth About Charlie' Is No Charade

Demme Attempts To Remake Grant-Hepburn Classic

'The Truth About Charlie' (R) (Out of four)

Remakes are always a tricky proposition -- especially if the original film was as beloved as "Charade," starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn.

But Jonathan Demme plunged right into making a modern version of the popular spy caper and came up with "The Truth About Charlie".

His inspiration was his friend, actress Thandie Newton. In fact, he said in a recent interview that he probably would not have attempted the film if she didn't agree to take the role.

His next challenge was to find someone to fill Grant's shoes. Of course, that is impossible, so he went in a whole different direction with Mark Wahlberg, who uses his sexuality and mystery instead of attempting to imitate the Grant charm.

Newton plays Regina Lampert, a woman who is living a posh life in Paris, but her husband, Charlie, spends very little time at home so she thinks it may be time to leave him.

However, when she gets home from a trip to Martinique it looks like he has left her. Their apartment is completely empty, just like their bank account. But appearances can be deceiving and she soon discovers her loving husband had a secretive life and during his time in the military, he and several others stole some money from the government, but only he knows where the stash is.

When Charlie disappears, his partners in crime pursue Reggie, believing she knows where the treasure is. She also encounters an embassy official (Tim Robbins) and a man that she happened to meet in Martinique (Wahlberg). Both appear to be in her corner and helping her unravel the mystery, but can they really be trusted?

I usually enjoy Demme's movies, but in his attempt to modernize the story, yet still retain some of the charm of the original, Demme ends up with a disjointed, schizophrenic film that doesn't even have the chemistry of the original stars to keep it going.

Wahlberg and Newton are both talented actors, but they have zero chemistry, leaving us little to invest in and make us care if they get together -- but Newton definitely has the class and look that reminds us of Hepburn.

Robbins is just plain quirky, but that is a holdover from the original film, so it's understandable. One delightful little quirk that really doesn't seem to have anything to do with the action is the occasional appearance of Parisian torch singer Charles Aznavour.

"The Truth About Charlie" is that reliving classic movies is usually a no-win proposition.

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