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COPYRIGHT 2002 All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission of The Condé Nast Publications Inc.
The new Jonathan Demme picture, "The Truth About Charlie," concerns the beautiful Regina Lambert (Thandie Newton), who returns to Paris from vacation to learn that her husband has been killed and that, far worse, the furnishings have been removed from her apartment. The deceased was a Swiss citizen named Charles, although he clearly wasn't; it is the principle of this movie that no man worth his salt should be content with the dull, unseasoned flavor of a single personality. Proof of this comes from Charles's multiple passports, from the diamonds that he seems to have purloined, and from the noms de guerre adopted by everyone who wants a piece of the booty. This group includes Joshua Peters (Mark Wahlberg) and Lewis Bartholomew (Tim Robbins), each of whom offers Regina whatever help she needs. She says yes to both of them, which is asking for trouble.
Viewers will be split between those who wonder about this silly, trumped-up story and those who already know and love the silliness for what it was. "The Truth About Charlie" is a rehash of "Charade," made by Stanley Donen in 1963 and regarded as one of the best Hitchcock movies that Hitchcock never made. Thandie Newton, in other words, is treading in the tiny footsteps of Audrey Hepburn, without appearing to enjoy herself half as much, and--there is, I fear,...
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