The Truth About Charlie marks a dramatic shift — in tone, style and even genre — from director Jonathan Demme's previous works (Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, Beloved). In an interview with 34th Street, Demme confesses, "[I wanted] a switch from my previous three films, which were all in one way or another heavy. I sort of felt like I needed some kind of vacation from big important themes."
The Truth About Charlie is certainly that; the film lies somewhere between a mystery and a romantic comedy. While Charade — the 1963 movie on which Charlie was based — is shelved in the mystery section at Video Library, Charlie is more of a New Wave comedy in its attempt to actively involve the audience in its insanity.
The Truth About Charlie tells the story of Regina Lampert (Thandie Newton), a widow who is left bewildered when she discovers that her murdered husband was not only some sort of spy, but that he also possessed an exorbitant amount of money at the time of his death. Needless to say, there are many government and international agencies with claims to the loot, but Regina's most serious predicament comes with the discovery that a man who she has befriended is also, in some way, attached to the money.
Demme attempts to take Stanley Donen's mystery/romantic comedy, Charade, and make it his own. "I didn't want to copycat the original," Demme explains. "In Charade, Audrey Hepburn falls madly in love with Cary Grant, and it is very delightful to watch her try and get him into bed. With Charlie, I wanted to take a different look at the same story. In my movie, Cary Grant's character (played by Mark Wahlberg) wants very badly to get [the money] from her, but he falls in love with her first. And thus, throughout the whole movie it's fun to watch him try and tell her he loves her, while still trying to get what he wants."
Throughout Charlie, Demme interweaves what he describes as a series of "love letters" devoted to "all of the things that [he] love[s]." His love affair with French cinema and French filmmakers, however, is the most prevalent motif in the entire film. Most of the film takes place in a hotel aptly named the H“tel Langlois — after Henri Langlois, who is famous for preserving many of the films responsible for the French New Wave movement, and for facilitating an exchange of films between the United States and France. Demme's love of all things French is exemplified when French love song crooner Charles Aznavour randomly appears in the protagonist's bedroom, where "Marky" Mark Wahlberg is trying to woo her. According to Demme, "You don't even need to know who he is to sense the magic that his music and presence add to the moment. [Aznavour] acts as a sort of cupid, spreading his love around." Demme further pays his homage to the French New Wave by giving AgnŠs Varda, the "grandmother of French New Wave" a cameo in the film.
The most self-indulgent moment in the film comes when one of the characters is standing in a jail cell, in exactly the same pose as Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs. The character was originally scripted to sit in a chair, but, Demme says,"as the camera panned around and I saw where he was, I figured I'd just let the camera run and cut it later. But it worked so well that I decided to keep it."
All that said, if you want to see a good American rendition of a French New Wave movie, then you will enjoy The Truth About Charlie immensely. Demme's "love letters," if one is able to interpret them, are well placed and unobtrusive. Even if you are not a film buff, the movie is still enjoyable because it is a comedy filled with varied characters and general silliness, combined with a mystery that has some vivid and challenging moments. The movie is neither a "good comedy" nor a "good mystery." It is more aptly categorized as an American New Wave experiment that has some memorable moments. Let's see if Video Library can find a section for that.
