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Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn, Ned Glass ... see more see more... , George Kennedy , Jacques Marin , Paul Bonifas , Dominique Minot , Thomas Chelimsky

Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn star in this stylish comedy-thriller directed by Stanley Donen, very much in a Hitchcock vein. Grant plays Peter Joshua, who meets Reggie Lampert (Hepburn) in Paris and l... read more read more...ater offers to help her when she discovers that her husband has been murdered. After the funeral, Reggie is summoned to the embassy and warned by agent/friend Bartholemew (Walter Matthau) that her late husband helped steal 250,000 dollars during the war and that the rest of the gang is after the money as well. When three of the men who attended her husband's funeral begin to harass her, Reggie goes to Joshua for help, at which time Joshua confesses that his name is actually Alexander Dyle, the brother of a fourth accomplice in the gold theft. The three men from the funeral are revealed to be the three other accomplices in the crime, and though she knows next to nothing of the heist, Reggie is caught in a ring of suspense as she is followed by the shadowy trio, all after the money. Apparently, the only person she can trust is Joshua/Dyle -- until Bartholomew tells Reggie that the fourth accomplice had no brother, and Joshua/Dyle reveals that he is, in fact, a crook named Adam Canfield. Now Reggie doesn't know where to turn. The musical score by Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini was nominated for an Academy Award. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

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91% liked it

40,400 ratings

Critics

91% liked it

35 critics

G, 1 hr. 55 min.

Directed by: Stanley Donen

Release Date: December 5, 1963

Keywords: suspense

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DVD Release Date: October 14, 1997

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Stats: 2,615 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,615)

  • flixsterman
    February 11, 2012
    flixsterman
    How do you make a Hitchcock movie without Hitchcock? Step 1: Cary Grant. Step 2: Find yourself a screenplay with a lot of twists and turns. Step 3: Hire the most beautiful actress you can afford. Step 4: And finally, you go get that guy who directed Singin' in the Rain.
  • FilmFanatik
    November 11, 2011
    FilmFanatik
    I gotta be honest here and say that the first half hour of Charade sort of threw me for a loop. It seemed to have a difficult time at first establishing a tone. Whether that tone was mixed with comedy or drama, I wasn't entirely sure. However, once the film finally got going and ... read moresettled in, it turned out to be enjoyable. Unfortunately, I think it gets just a bit too silly at times, and Audrey Hepburn is trying way to hard to be funny and charming. I'm sure I'm in the minority on that, but oh well. Overall, the film is fun and has a fantastic score, but it isn't without its problems. Those problems can be overlooked though, as the film is a clever spy movie with a lot of substance.
  • deano
    March 28, 2011
    deano
    Perfect romantic-comedy-thriller classic entertainment. This is kind of a Hitchcock movie that set the standard for quality mystery films. It's a tasteful humour colourful characters and intelligent plot make Charade one of the best mystery movie ever made with Cary Grant ... read moreand Audrey Hepburn.
    The story's strength lies in getting the viewer involved. One never knows whether Grant is a good guy or a bad guy. The dialog between Grant and Hepburn is very entertaining as the latter tries to figure out the same thing. There are lots of good lines, particularly by Grant.
    Director Stanley Donen gets out of every sequence very skillfully.
  • Tomassgringo
    March 13, 2011
    Tomassgringo
    Cary Grant, what an actor. So little effort on his part. Audrey Hepburn just cute as possible. The two make this 1963 thriller fun as well as suspenseful! For nostalgia, this movie is perfect.
  • kiriyamakazou
    February 5, 2011
    kiriyamakazou
    It takes a lot for a film to automatically jump into your favorites of all time. Charade is one of those rare films that did just that. Unfortunately ignored, mostly due to copyright mistakes made by the production company, this has been dubbed "The greatest Hitchcock film Hitchc... read moreock never made". It's certainly true that this owes a lot to the works of Hitchcock. Despite not adding much originality to the genre, it perfects every single facet. Charade is a classical romantic-comedy disguised as a spy thriller. The first noticeable sign that this is going to be brilliant is the witty and quick dialogue. Most comedies today don't generate so many belly laughs. This is a serious world, filled with real people. This means that everyone has a slight sense of humor, and interesting character quirks. The film also works by making Hepburn more of a predator than her older leading man. Her character is given much to work with as a woman looking for divorce, before discovering her husband has been murdered. A great thing about this film is that it has so many twists, and you only see them approaching seconds before the reveal. This film kept me guessing, excited, smiling, and intrigued. An absolute gem from when Hollywood crafted masterpieces.
  • ajv2688
    November 24, 2010
    ajv2688
    This is probably Grant's best movie of the sixties, it's exciting, fun, humorous, and has a mystery to figure out. I loved the end too. I highly recommend this movie.
  • lewiskendell
    October 30, 2010
    lewiskendell
    "You can't even be honest about being dishonest!"

    Charade is a very funny spy/mystery about a dead man, a very large amount of missing money, a threatened widow who is clearly in over her head (Audrey Hepburn), a mysterious man with many names (Cary Grant), and three sinister, s... read morehadowy men. This movie has more twists and turns than it should even be possible to fit into 113 minutes, and every time you think you have it figured out, it smacks you in the nose with another curve-ball.

    The plot is a successful marriage of humor, murder, and danger. People die at every turn, yet there's a small or big laugh around every corner. Hepburn and Grant really get to flex their comedic muscles, thanks to a script that provides excellent banter for the two leads. Hepburn is her typical beautiful, charming, girlish, impossibly adorable self. No surprises there. And Grant handles both the funny and dangerous aspects of his character quite well, to the extent that you never quite know whether to trust him or not. There's great chemistry between the pair, almost to the level between Grant and Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief. That's a huge compliment, as I absolutely love that movie.

    Charade does a lot of things very well. And while it stays safely on the side of light entertainment, and doesn't quite have the magic of some of my favorite classic movies, it's a fun movie to watch. Do yourself a favor and see this film; there is very little chance that it could possibly disappoint you.
  • TomBowler
    August 21, 2010
    TomBowler
    Fantastic thriller with some great acting. Full review later.
  • ythelastman89
    July 13, 2010
    ythelastman89
    Quite simply, this is one of my absolute favorite movies and is perfect in every sense of the word. I think it combines all my favorite things and wraps them together in a nice package. Cary Grant probably has to be my favorite actor of all time, I idolize him completely and thin... read morek he defines the term leading man. Audrey Hepburn is probably my favorite actress of all time, she resembles every quality an actress should have and then some. The supporting cast also has some of my favorite people, including James Coburn, crazy George Kennedy and Walter Matthau as a surprisingly scary and believable villain. I'm a huge fan of capers and true romance stories, this happens to be the best of both worlds. You are involved in the love story just as much as the mystery of what happened to the late Charles and his $250,000. The twists are beautifully done and better than anything like it. I often wonder why people throw this under the category of "Hitchcockian", that's completely ridiculous. Alfred Hitchcock would never spend this much time with his characters and never would he have managed to do this without making it more tragic and shot-oriented. Stanley Donen may not have the legacy of other directors at the time, but this is a masterpiece and everyone should admire him for doing something so beautiful and original. Now movies like this are more common, but this still remains the best.
  • mjgildea
    February 6, 2010
    mjgildea
    The best Hitchcock movie that Hitchcock never made. Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn are perfect together and the rest of the cast is almost equally fantastic. Director Stanley Donen films shoots Paris beautifully with just enough of the eye candy element from his previous films. Th... read moree story's suspenseful without being predictable, the dialogue is witty and hysterical all at the same time.

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Critic Reviews

February 4, 2009
TIME Magazine

What's going on is sort of confused. Full Review

Dave Kehr
February 4, 2009
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

A terrifically entertaining comedy-thriller. Full Review

Robert B. Frederick
December 11, 2008
Robert B. Frederick, Variety

Firsttime teaming of Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, a natural, gives the sophisticated romantic caper an international appeal, plus the selling points of adventure, suspense and suberb comedy. Full Review

Bosley Crowther
May 9, 2005
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

I tell you, this light-hearted picture is full of such gruesome violence. Full Review

Charles Taylor
January 1, 2000
Charles Taylor, Salon.com

Made when the studio system was on its last legs, Charade still feels fresh, quick-witted, nothing like the artificial, airless Hollywood pictures of its time. Full Review

Kevin Carr
April 18, 2012
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures

Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn transcend several genres Full Review

Ian Nathan
February 4, 2009
Ian Nathan, Empire Magazine

It's glossy, charming, silly, and far too self-aware to be at all thrilling. Full Review

February 4, 2009
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Charming comedy-romance-thriller pairing Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, intelligently scripted by Peter Stone and directed in distinctly Hitchcockian style by Stanley Donen. Full Review

Stefan Birgir Stefansson
March 2, 2008
Stefan Birgir Stefansson, sbs.is

even though the age difference is kinda weird the romance works

Dennis Schwartz
April 13, 2006
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A smart Hitchcockian thriller. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Facts

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    • Regina Lampert: Adam Canfield? Wonderful! Do you realize you've had three names in the past two days? I don't even know who I'm talking to any more!
    • Regina Lampert: Hello, Mr. Dyle.
    • Peter Joshua/Alexander Dyle/Adam Canfield/Brian Cruik: Regie?
    • Regina Lampert: Well, that's the only name I've got.
    • Peter Joshua/Alexander Dyle/Adam Canfield/Brian Cruik: What do I have to do to satisfy you? Become the next victim?
    • Regina Lampert: That's a start anyway.
    • Regina Lampert: I already know an awful lot of people and until one of them dies I couldn't possibly meet anyone else.
    • Peter Joshua/Alexander Dyle/Adam Canfield/Brian Cruik: Well, if anyone goes on the critical list, let me know.
    • Regina Lampert: I'm having a nervous breakdown.
    • Regina Lampert: Oh, I don't know who anyone is!
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