Review of Charade (1963) by Blake P — 17 May 2012

Reggie (Hepburn) has just received some startling news: her husband has just been murdered! She's not too upset though-- she married him for the money and has been wanting a divorce anyway. At first, being a widow is nice: she has more alone time, she can see her friends more often, and she can shop as much as she wants.

Things turn deadly pretty fast when some criminals (Coburn, Kennedy) start stalking her, asking her "where the money is". As it turns out her late husband was a CIA operative, and he had an object worth millions.

With the aid of a suave but mysterious stranger (Grant), Reggie gets closer to the truth-- but it seems this man may not be who he seems. "Charade" is one big nostalgia trip. Filmed when classy actors Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant were at their prime, this is for sure the perfect film to see them in together.

Both are so good at playful, entertaining films, and with "Charade", everything fits like a glove. The '60's was not a very good decade for comedies, and really only has, to this day, a handful of classics.

This film however, is the brainiest, and proves that gags don't have to make you laugh. Stanley Donen, who at the time was more known for his spectacular musicals at the time instead creates a comedic thriller so perfect that it seems no other film will be like it.

When this movie's funny, it's REALLY funny, but when it's suspenseful, it's like Hitchcock. It has the wit and slyness of his films, and nobody pulls it off better than its two leading actors.

They carry us on a very enjoyable ride, and by the end I didn't even want to get off. Carried along with Henry Mancini's pulse-pounding score, "Charade" is just.plain.fun. Highly recommended.