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Audrey Hepburn’s 1963 comedy thriller “Charade” was not only one of the actress’ best movies, but it was one of the best movies to come out of that entire year. Famously described as “the best Hitchcock movie Hitchcock never made,” the movie was a major critical and audience hit. It also won Hepburn a British Film Academy Award for best actress, and won writer Peter Stone an Edgar Allan Poe Award for best motion picture screenplay.
The 2002 mystery film, “The Truth About Charlie,” was a remake of “Charade” that sought to achieve the same level of success as the original. This one starred Thandiwe Newton in Hepburn’s role, and Mark Wahlberg in Cary Grant’s. Wahlberg’s character may technically have a different name as Grant’s character, but he’s written to be as sneaky and charming as the role that marked the end of era for Grant. Despite both Walhberg and Newton being big names by this point, the movie flopped at the box office. It only made about $7 million worldwide on a $60 million budget.
Part of its disastrous performance came down to the casting. Just because the script told Wahlberg to be charming doesn’t mean Wahlberg (better known for his aggressive hot-head characters) was able to pull the feat off. He was considered by critics to have been miscast, and Universal Pictures seemed to agree. They dumped the movie at the end of October, in a week that was otherwise dominated by Halloween-adjacent movies like “The Ring,” “Ghost Ship,” and of course the horrifying gore-fest that was “Jackass: The Movie.” The studio seemed to make little attempt to market the movie, both domestically and abroad, and by the end of the film’s first weekend in theaters, it had already been forgotten.
It’s self-defeating to compare your movie to Charade
Universal Pictures
“[Director Jonathon] Demme does something I’ve never seen another director do — he makes Paris look bad,” complained critic Josh Spiegel about “The Truth About Charlie.” Critic Peter Rainer got even harsher with it in New York Magazine, “I realize that Mark Wahlberg is not Cary Grant, but shouldn’t there be some compensating reason for his presence in this movie?” The prevailing sentiment was, as summed up by critic Moira McDonald’s more-positive review, “‘Charade’ was magic; ‘Charlie’ isn’t.”
If “The Truth About Charlie” hadn’t sold itself as a “Charade” remake, it might’ve been better received. But instead, it chose to compare itself to one of the most fondly-remembered movies of the ’60s, a movie so good that Ayo Edebiri chose it in her Criterion Closet Picks video over 60 years later. “I love a heist,” Edeberi said. “When I found out about this movie, I was just like, ‘oh perfect, two hot people doing a heist.’ But it’s like very goofy and very silly and there’s really fun set pieces. And it’s got that ’60s wit.”
In 2022, the Library of Congress announced they were adding “Charade” to the National Film Registry, a list that aims to preserve films deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Frankly, it was about time; even outside the direct “Charade” remakes, you can see the clear influence of the charming Paris-based spy comedy on so many of the European-set movies that’d come after. “Charade” is definitely worth checking out for modern viewers, especially since it’s remarkably easy to get your hands on.
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