The Truth About Charlie

A loose and rather bizarre reworking of Charade which manages to lose most of its charm in a bluster towards sassiness, The Truth About Charlie is something of a misfire for its director. Thandie Newton is Regina Lambert, the trophy wife of a wealthy art dealer who discovers that her husband, Charlie (Dillane) has been murdered, taking his fortune with him to the grave. A mysterious gent called Joshua Peters (Wahlberg) offers to help her, as a variety of shady sorts hassle Regina about money she never even realised that her husband had access to. But as more people get involved, Regina becomes unsure of who she can trust and who she should fear.

While Charade was an exercise in cinematic style and grace, Demme's Charlie seems unsure of what its purpose is. There's a lot going on, but Demme seems reluctant to streamline things, allowing the narrative to spill over in several different directions and never applying much of a structure. The director is playful and seems to be having a whale of a time, doubling back over the plot and marvelling at his cute references and cold-handed flair. But it's just a shame that he seems to have forgotten that he has an audience to entertain.