'The Truth About Charlie' Is a wholly unnecessary re-take of the Stanley Donen Classic Charade. Mark Wahlberg,is no Cary Grant. Thandie Newton, looks as if she walked In to the wrong production, Tim Robbins, appears as a US embassy official who phones in his performance. The only interesting thing about this waste of celluloid is the Parisian locations. It's a rather tedious film that goes to show.if it ain't broke don't fix it. I managed to see this flick on its brief run, it vanished in the space of a week, i wonder why. One word of advice rent or buy the superb original Charade Cary Grant Audery Hepburn, Iam sure Cary Grant would turn in his grave! This one should be filed under unnecessary remakes.

I count three times that Mark Wahlberg has taken parts that were originally done by stars from old Hollywood. He was the astronaut taking Charlton Heston's role in the remake of Planet Of The Apes. He played John Wayne's role in the urban remake of The Sons Of Katie Elder, Four Sons. Finally in this film, Wahlberg tries out playing the many named man that Cary Grant played in Charade. As in Charade, do we ever know The Truth About Charlie.

Three different icons with three different personalities. Well at least he didn't try to imitate Cary Grant in The Truth About Charlie. Mark was his own man here and frankly he's the best thing about this film. Thandie Newton never seemed as vulnerable as Audrey Hepburn in the original. And Tim Robbins was absolutely colorless as the fake CIA man, not a patch on Walter Matthau.

But the biggest error was the elimination of those colorful conspirators George Kennedy, James Coburn, and Ned Glass from the original. Those guys added so much to Charade.

Not to mention the style and glamor that Stanley Donen brought to Charade has been boiled right out of this film. Jonathan Demme who got such acclaim for Silence Of The Lambs was the man at the helm. None of these people qualify as a Hannibal the Cannibal type villain. I think he forgot what picture he was on.

Fans of the original will be sadly disappointed.

Regina Lambert (Tandie Newton) returns home to Paris to be told by the police that her new husband Charlie has been killed. She was about to divorce him anyways but discovers that Charlie is not who she thought he was. He had cleaned out everything including the furniture and the $1.8 million proceeds have disappeared. Then she runs into Lewis Bartholamew (Mark Wahlberg) again who she met on her vacation. Commandant Dominique is investigating the case.

It's almost a joke to have Mark Wahlberg and Thandie Newton in the roles once played by Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. I like Newton but she's no Hepburn. Don't even try to justify Wahlberg for Grant. I'm not a great fan of the original but that leading duo can sell me anything. This leading duo is a poor substitute. No matter how hard director Jonathan Demme tries, I cringe every time Wahlberg shows up.