For some so bad, it’s good for me though…

…yes, another wonderful round of the “So bad it’s good” Blogathon hosted by Rebecca of Taking Up Room. As always, I’m taking on the slant of “it’s badly rated but I quite like it. It’s good”. This year, rated 4.7 on IMDB, I’m taking on “The Truth About Charlie” (2002).

Directed by Jonathan Demme (known for The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia) this movie really isn’t bad at all. For me that is. Maybe for others it doesn’t rate well because it is compared to the movie Charade on which it is apparently based. I haven’t seen “the original” so I have no expectations. Anyway, that’s besides the point.

The story revolves around Regina (Thandiwe Newton) who, returning to Paris from a holiday abroad, finds her home ransacked and practically empty. Husband Charlie (Stephen Dillane) in the morgue. Coincidentally the charming Lewis (Mark Wahlberg) who she briefly met on holiday keeps crossing paths with her (in Paris). Commandant Dominique (Christine Boisson) and Lieutenant Dessalines (Simon Abkarian) likewise keep appearing. Poor Regina has no idea what is going on which is complicated when some US agent Carson Dyle (Tim Robbins) claims to be the man to trust. A whole lot of people suddenly have a very keen interest in Regina, or rather, Charlie’s belongings.

While it may all sound complex, and, in all honestly, probably doesn’t add up as cleanly as it should, I thoroughly enjoy watching it all unfold in Paris. It adds a certain, well, “je ne sais quoa”…but it works for me. And the supporting characters are wonderful too, the actors and actresses that have been cast give their roles a special something. Christine Boisson has got to be the coolest Commandant out there. Even Lola, Zadapec and Il-Sang Lee (played respectively by LisaGay Hamilton, Ted Levine and Joong-Hoon Park), three suspicious characters who are ever-present around Regina fit the story perfectly. I think that’s probably what it comes down to…the setting and casting, not so much the story.

Regardless of what it is, I do find myself watching this one every couple of years. I guess we all have some or other “bad” movie on our watch list.

Just like these other two movies that are deemed bad but are good for me: Northmen: A Viking Saga (review here) and The Gundown (review here).

Head on hover to Taking Up Room to see some variations on a theme of “So Bad It’s Good” over here (here). (I’m linking you to the announcement page because I have no access to the internet when the Blogathon takes place)

Advertisement