Personal Rating: 6.4/10
As a kid, did you ever look at a slide and think I can't wait to go down that, it has plenty of twists and turns. But come to find out there's no slip to the slide, you have to scoot yourself down the whole time and you end up looking back up at it with distaste?
That might be too specific of an illustration but it sums up my experience with Charade. I had high expectations going into this film based on the star-studded cast and while Hepburn and Grant had some alright performances, it certainly wasn't their best.
In multiple places, the film felt lacklustre, with camera work that lacked intention. The story told while giving you whiplash with unexpectedness, I felt leaned too much on the "didn't see it coming" element and forgot to tell a deeper story. It's not all doom and gloom as the dialogue in many places was quite witty and refreshing.
I do have to mention, though I don't have much to stand on as a male, I felt the portrayal and treatment of Audrey's character did not age well and is quite distasteful by today's standards.
One example was the constant changing of opinions based on the frivolous come and go emotion of "love" in this movie from Hepburn for a character (Grant) mysterious and nothing more than a pretty face: "I love you", "you're a murderer", *let me kiss you a thousand times*, "who are you", all of these changes in feelings based on nothing left me quite confused and dissatisfied with the breadcrumbs of character development here.
The script even recognises this fault when Gary Grant says: "One minute you're chasing me around the shower room the next you're accusing me of murder"
By now you are quite aware of the faults I find with this film, but don't get me wrong, it's certainly not the worst thing I've seen. If you're looking for some light-hearted mystery with a great cast this is the film for you. Avoid it though if you're seeking something that you want to stay with you days later.
As a kid, did you ever look at a slide and think I can't wait to go down that, it has plenty of twists and turns. But come to find out there's no slip to the slide, you have to scoot yourself down the whole time and you end up looking back up at it with distaste?
That might be too specific of an illustration but it sums up my experience with Charade. I had high expectations going into this film based on the star-studded cast and while Hepburn and Grant had some alright performances, it certainly wasn't their best.
In multiple places, the film felt lacklustre, with camera work that lacked intention. The story told while giving you whiplash with unexpectedness, I felt leaned too much on the "didn't see it coming" element and forgot to tell a deeper story. It's not all doom and gloom as the dialogue in many places was quite witty and refreshing.
I do have to mention, though I don't have much to stand on as a male, I felt the portrayal and treatment of Audrey's character did not age well and is quite distasteful by today's standards.
One example was the constant changing of opinions based on the frivolous come and go emotion of "love" in this movie from Hepburn for a character (Grant) mysterious and nothing more than a pretty face: "I love you", "you're a murderer", *let me kiss you a thousand times*, "who are you", all of these changes in feelings based on nothing left me quite confused and dissatisfied with the breadcrumbs of character development here.
The script even recognises this fault when Gary Grant says: "One minute you're chasing me around the shower room the next you're accusing me of murder"
By now you are quite aware of the faults I find with this film, but don't get me wrong, it's certainly not the worst thing I've seen. If you're looking for some light-hearted mystery with a great cast this is the film for you. Avoid it though if you're seeking something that you want to stay with you days later.