Rating: 
Summary: Watch it only with very low expectations
Review: Wow. What an awful film. I saw this for sale in the bargain bin (along with Bend it like Beckham, which is a great movie, so didn't want to condemn Truth About Charlie based on its price alone). I didn't have to. There are plenty of other reasons to hate it.
I personally never saw the original movie CHARADE (which 'Charlie' is remaking), so I had about as open a mind as possible when viewing this. Also, because I live in Europe, the DVD copy I bought did not include CHARADE like its American Region 1 counterpart, so I can't compare the two films like other reviewers. I can only warn you how bad 'Charlie' is. As a rule, I don't usually write the plot summaries to movies when I review them. In the case of 'Charlie' however, I couldn't even if I wanted to. The plot just made no sense. The ACTORS: I like Thandie Newton, but she mimics the audience's own confused reaction so often and accurately, that when she starts to act like she knows what's going on, we feel betrayed, because we know she couldn't possibly have made sense of this mess of a film before us. Mark Wahlberg is really not that bad an actor, but he's so fake in this role, and Tim Robbins is even more hammy. Add in Lisa Gay Hamilton (formerly of TV's The Practice), some french actors, hey, even Ted Levine (who plays Buffalo Bill in Demme's Silence Of The Lambs) appears for a few scenes. Steven Dillane - who was excellent in SPY GAME - is Charlie, even though we only get to hear his good French accent for all of 30 seconds in the beginning of the film, and subsequently only see him in corny flashbacks as the film progresses. What a waste of acting talent. The MUSIC: Sound and music affect moods in movies a lot more than people realise. This film is a prime example where the music undermines the potential for suspense. It sounds like composer Rachel Portman basically just collected a bunch of songs from some sad sampler CD and inserted them randomly. Music starts and stops at really odd times, like some cheasy no-name tune will be playing in the background and then suddenly stop when a character hangs up the phone, other times elevator muzak accompanies Newton when she is running frantically through the streets of Paris. If the music IS ever any good, it's so deliberate, that it become's too much of a character in its own right, which isn't what movie scores normally are supposed to do - unless of course, it's for a Quentin Tarantino film. The FILM: The editing is weird. The camera jiggles constantly. There are way too many close-ups of the actor's faces. The flashbacks have this totally low-budget handycam look to them. Everyone chases Newton in the film, and it's only after an hour of DVD running time has passed that she decides to take a closer look at the contents of the bag that all the bad guys are desperate to peek into. Everyone is a potential traitor (a very cheap and tired method for a script to allow for plot twists). There is no comedy. No believable romance. No sex. No action. No drama. And most of all - thanks to the shaky camera and crappy elevator music - there's no suspense whatsoever either. Man, just check out that final showdown scene in the rain with all the pathetic close-ups, does any one give a hairy rat's butt what happens?
Rating: 
Summary: Mystery!
Review: Regina returns to Paris to find her apartment stripped of everything and to make matters worse the police soon turn up to tell her that her husband is dead! Murdered!
Soon she learns that Charlie was not the man she thought he was, as a matter of fact it seems Charlie was many men in one, as the police show her numerous passports with Charlies picture on each, only associated with a different name. Just who was Charlie.
Soon Regina realizes that she is in danger as it seems Charlie has stolen 6 million dollars and many dangerous people want it back. Regina becomes their only link to the money and so the adventure begins.
I felt this movie had some good qualities, it was mysterious and kept you guessing for a while, but considering it was a remake of Charade, it left you a little wanting. However, it had some good acting and I think you would enjoy watching it.
Rating:
Summary: VERY VERY loosely based on Charade
Review: After regurgitating, I was able to collect my thoughts on this film. It starts out inept and only gets worse from there. You immediately have to turn off the sound to bypass the noise that introduces the film. Then you get your first taste of nudity designed to cover up a pathetically lacking dialog. At first the camera is jumping around and you figure it will finally slow down and focus some time during the film. Can you say Blair Witch? It only gets worse so get out the Dramamine. The comedy had been stripped along with any semblance of synergy between the so called actors. The film looks like a high school contest submission.
Even the story has-been changed leaving a hand full of names that are the only thing that was brought over from the previous script. The TV type plot is not worthy of being described here. Mixed with the sound bite formula and poor music is a name recognition plug for some has-been singer.
What? you say "how about the free copy of Charade on the combined produc?" Believe me of you have to buy this then Charade is not free. You will be much better off to find a copy of the Criterion Collection version.
Rating:
Summary: Do We Care?
Review: The film is a remake of the Audrey Hepburn and Carey Grant classic, Charade. Regina (Newton), Charlie's wife, comes home from vacation to find her home completely empty and her husband murdered. Some very nasty characters, apparently her husband's former colleagues, believe she is in possession of a very valuable item. Regina no longer feels safe and, just then, in steps the handsome stranger (Wahlberg), to her rescue. This sounds like the original, correct? Well, The Truth About Charlie is that Johnathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs) should have left Peter Stone's original screenplay alone. This remake is disjointed and badly acted. Newton's performance is weak, Wahlberg is stiff, and halfway into the movie you don't care what the truth about Charlie is....you just want to return the film. Buy this DVD as cheaply as possible, only because it includes a copy of Charade on the flip side. If this version is not available, purchase the original.
Rating: 
Summary: No comparison
Review: So many complain that this film must be compared to a sickly sweet '60's original...no way! Do you like Jean Reno? "The Truth About Charlie" is a film in his genre. Enjoy "The Transporter"? Accept this as a wonderfully dynamic, visually stimulating film that stands on it's own. I was thoroughly enthralled, straining to catch every twist, and nuance. Particularly interested in how the film was not "dumbed down" for the American audience, example, scenes would often start for a sentence or two in French then casually transition to English. The "feeling" was there, and you knew, you just knew what they were saying....you "got it". You never lost the Euro feel and I loved the location filming in Paris. The plot is completely unpredictable and you need to sit still right through the credits to get the full effect. Subtle humor, unusual (and well-done) camerawork, surrealistic appearances of French pop singers. This is a wonderful film. Avoid watching it the first time if you have noisy kids, inattentive spouses or other distractions. You will not want to blink. "The Truth About Charlie" is one for your collection.
Rating:
Summary: One of my all-time favorite movies
Review: For those that love classical movies, this review is not for you. Watch the original. For those of you who, like me, find the old "classics" slow and contrived, this is the fast-paced modern version you should watch. Its got a touch more realism (but still an escapist adventure), a much better soundtrack, and a cast that I found to be more interesting across the board. Hepburn is too haughty, Grant is too old for her, and both the bad guys and the Paris police are more fun in the new one. The original, while very well-written, still comes off a typical Hollywood 60s product. The remake, an edgy take on a clever story with great twists, is superior. Its a shame everyone else reviewing on here seems to be classical fans looking for the same old product.
Rating:
Summary: A Surprise Bonus Included With This One !
Review: I think most of the previous reviewers are venting their displeasure at the excellent CHARADE being remade. Nothing could measure up to the original in their minds, and this one doesn't. The DVD comes with CHARADE as well as the remake. The bonus is that the audio and video on CHARADE is vastly superior to the currently-available DVD (except perhaps the expensive Criterion edition), so those who love CHARADE may want to purchase Truth About Charlie just to get a terrific CHARADE ! ! By the way, it's a 2-sided disc with a movie on each side, not 2 discs. Three stars for Truth About Charlie and 5 for CHARADE - 4 stars overall.
Rating:
Summary: IT BURNS!!!
Review: This movie was an utter travesty. It took the original Charade, which was a very good movie starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, and turned into something awful. First off, Mark Wahlburg. I have seen much better acting in community theater. Seriously, I've had things emerge from my nose with more talent than this unbelievably bad excuse for an actor. He's about as deadpan as a human can get without actually going comatose. He has all the charisma of a fencepost, and as a result, his relationship with Thandie Newton is really unbelievable. Of course, that's just one of many reasons. The screenwriter of this movie took the original Charade and removed anything original and exciting from it. The characters are remarkably inconsistant and unbelievable. They bounce around from liking each other to not liking each other, trusting each other to not trusting each other and vice versa, and we have absolutely no idea why. I'm pretty sure the writer didn't either. The plot is vaguely interesting, something that actually carried over from the original. The movie also includes some topless scenes, but they serve no purpose. I guess they were tossed in to keep people from getting bored, but it didn't work. This movie is a testament to the fact that there are very few good screenwriters left in Hollywood. The director was in idiot. He spices up Paris with lots of colored lighting, but it really does nothing for the viewer. He also uses lots of panning and close-ups, and it comes off as confusing and claustrophobic. It's jerky as well, like an old camcorder held by an 8 year old with ADD. It does nothing for the story and winds up making the viewer sick. This movie is a lot like NASCAR. There's very little excitement. It just goes around and around but never gets anywhere. When the end finally comes, it's anticlimactic as can be and you're glad that it's over. We don't care what happens to the characters, and the pathetic twists are lame and easy to spot. The pacing stinks like a skunk smashed on the highway. It will go unbearably slow for a while, then zip through a scene or two. How did the director ever land this job? The guy probably has trouble getting food to his mouth, much less directing a movie. Don't rent this movie. Don't watch it if a friend rents it. There are much better things you can do with your time, like staring at the wall or, yes, even watching NASCAR.
Rating:
Summary: The worst movie I've seen in years (maybe decades)
Review: The only reason this film deserves one star is because the DVD includes "Charade". Do yourself a favor and watch "Charade" and skip "The Truth About Charlie." This is honestly one of the worst movies I've ever seen. The acting is laughable, the directing is a mess, the cinematography is terrible, the editing is inconsistent, and even the soundtrack is lacking. The only decent thing is the plot, but all the other elements of the movie are so distracting that the impact of the plot is completely lost. Which is why you should just watch "Charade" and scratch the heck out of the other side of the DVD with your car key in case you're ever tempted to watch it.
Rating: 
Summary: don't mess with classic cinema.
Review: I am not a movie critic by any means, but I have always felt that re-makes and sequals are tricky business at best, and some films can never be equalled, such is the case with Charade, I think any attempt to remake it will fail in some catagory and this one sure did for me anyway. The flim is uneven, and at times seems to be too tongue in cheek. The characters are ok, and Tandie Newton does bear some physical resemblance to Audrey Hepburn, well she does a little. Mark Wahlberg is ok as the stranger who comes to her aid, or so it seems, and then there is TIm Robbins as a mysterious government like official, but still it seems like this movie got to a good start and then the script blew away and they said well just wing it. Like I said, im no Siskel, or Ebert, but I know a good film when I see it and this one didnt hit the mark for me.
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