Review: The Truth About Charlie

I’m so glad that I didn’t go to The Santa Clause 2! My mom and my brothers saw it while I was at this movie and almost killed me when they walked out of the theatre. They were hurt even more when I told them I was the only person in the theatre at my movie! Now I am confident that all of you will be seeing Ryan’s review of Mr. Santa Clause’s flick! I never knew a fat guy in a red suit with a Jewish elf could scare people so bad! J

The Truth About Charlie is a stylish, low-budget film with a genuine cast and one of my favorite directors of all time. The mystifying shots don’t look as cheap as those of Tadpole, but close. The director, Jonathan Demme, who also did the Silence of the Lambs, takes advantage of this. He is able to make it more mysterious by using the shaky camera, and at times even illogical shots. Only part of The Truth About Charlie is suspenseful, but almost all of it is intriguing.

When the story starts, it leaves us dazed and confused. It is so wacky, out-of-order and roughly done that it leads us to believe that the film reels have somehow been misplaced in the projector. We start on a train, which appears to be French, because all of the people on it are speaking the language of Thai. It shows a man and his wife, the husband appears to be the owner or manager of the train. Than we move to a sandy beach, which looks like it’s in the Bahamas, for a few seconds. We see the wife of the train owner, named Regina Lambert (Thandie Newton), meeting Joshua Peters (Mark Whalberg). Regina seems to be intimidated by Joshua, and we begin to think that she has developed a crush on him. Once again, the video shifts to another setting. This time it turns to Regina lives; Paris, France. The mysterious Joshua is there, too. He says hi, and by the way that he states his exclamation; she suspects that he is chasing her. When she walks into her home, everything is destroyed and two FBI agents are in the kitchen. She talks to them, and they suggest that she comes to their offices for a meeting. There they tell her that her husband (the train guy), is dead. She also finds out that he was the illegal holder of lots of money, and many people who were his former co-workers will do anything to get it. They inform her that it is in her possession, yet she has no idea where it would be or what form its in. She must find the money, and hide from these “bad” people. Who is there to help her get out of this ghastly situation? Joshua. He checks her into a hotel room, and makes her a few meals. On her list, he isn’t a suspect, but on the FBI’s, he’s seemingly number one. Who has the real truth about her husband, Charlie?

Wahlberg and Newton’s performances suited the given roles very well. Wahlberg has the typical “Ben Affleck” look about him, but he is a much better actor. His character, Joshua Peters, is probably the most mysterious of all. Until the very end, we don’t know who’s side he’s on and if he is the right choice for the characters to associate with. Thandie Newton is as hot as they get. Her stunning beauty mixed with fabulous acting and an interesting character makes an unbeatable match. She is much like Elizabeth Hurley of Serving Sara, but she is yet again, a better actress, and does not do pornography. Thandie’s character, Regina Lambert, who is often called “Reggie,” by Mr. Peters is wildly amusing. This is not the average character. Reggie’s dialogue is extremely intriguing, and at times we even suspect that she murdered her husband. We believe this because of Newton’s frisky way of stating that she wants to be as “uninvolved as possible” with the case, as well as the low level of grief and mourning that the death brings her personality. Everything is resolved in the end, but the acting is magnificent the whole way through.

The Truth About Charlie is impenetrable in its edgy delivery. The performances, direction, and screenplay are tough to match by any other team. This might not be the best remake in the world, but it’s an effectively done piece of work. If you want a good movie, that isn’t going to be the most crowded at the theatre, than The Truth About Charlie is a sure bet.

-Danny, Bucket Reviews