Chaplin
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Movie Reviews of Chaplin
Movie Review: Charming and graceful; a biopic that towers forward with a commanding star turn...
Summary: 5 Stars
`Chaplin' has a lot going for it. It's a biopic and that always rests well with me. The subject of that said biopic is a man who was famous for his ability to entertain. The star cast in that important role of lead delivers a performance so electrifying there's no wonder why he received the Oscar nomination. The rest of the cast is so star studded you're drawn to the prospect of what you'll see, even if every apart from the star is limited in their screen time. It's faithfully directed by a man who adored and respected his subject. But, without a script, without a story none of this really matters. So, what makes `Chaplin' a film worth every second is the fact that it tells quite a story.
The life of Charlie Chaplin was one filled with rises and falls. He started off struggling but then rose almost immediately before falling back down only to be lifted up once again. It's a rollercoaster of a way to live, but it makes for one interesting journey for the audience. Charlie Chaplin started his life dirt poor. What made things worse was the fact that his mother, for her own good, was admitted to an asylum while Charlie was still quite young. His mothers theatrical aspirations did have an impact on Charlie though, a good one, for he soon made a name for himself as a comedian of the stage. It wasn't until he moved to the states to pursue film roles though that he became the face behind silent film.
`Chaplin' would be little more than a good story without the brilliant performance given by Robert Downey Jr., a performance that captures the essence that was Charlie Chaplin and exposes this man to the full. Downey Jr. understands Chaplin and brings so much light and charisma to this role, a role that defined him as a star and not just a Hollywood bad-boy. I only wish that Robert Downey Jr. could receive more roles of this nature for he really sinks his teeth into this performance and drags out something everyone can admire and respect. He captured the emotional depth of this man while embellishing the signature charm and comedic grace of the legend himself. A far cry from a mere mimic, Downey Jr. slipped away inside this man and recreated him from the ground up.
Sadly, this was released the same year as `Malcolm X' so I can't truthfully say that Robert Downey Jr. was robbed of the Oscar. In fact Denzel Washington was robbed of the Oscar, but that's for another review.
The film exposes the good as well as the bad times in this mans life, from his womanizing days, his many marriages and his confrontations with J. Edgar Hoover, a volatile relationship that caused much heartache in Chaplin's life. It never rushes things but takes it time to flesh out this man and create a feeling of truly knowing him inside and out. Apparently the original cut of the film was nearly four hours long, and while that seems like a long time I'd be interested in seeing the film in its entirety for I'm sure there is so much more of this mans life that would be intriguing to discover. Still, with all the cuts made to the film it never appears condensed or lacking.
The film sports a slew of supporting performances, all of which are brilliantly crafted by the cast. Geraldine Chaplin plays her own grandmother Hannah effortlessly with such commanding presence and Paul Rhys is able to play second fiddle to the star without giving up is star power entirely. The beautiful actresses who played the women in Charlie's life all do splendid jobs, Diane Lane in particular is stunning and makes the most lasting impression. Moira Kelly is wonderful as Chaplin's loving wife Oona, but she lacks the screen presence that Lane brings to her performance. Milla Jovovich is stunning as Charlie's first wife Mildred and Dan Aykroyd is in top form as Mack Sennett and delivers an exciting and well rounded comedic performance. The cast is so extensive it's really hard to single out everyone, but one performer that needs to be mentioned is Kevin Kline who just delivers effortlessly as Charlie's good friend Douglas Fairbanks. He's charming and graceful and so in tune with her character it's an utter joy to watch.
`Chaplin' delivers everything you could ask for in a biopic. It's interesting, informative, entertaining and commanding, giving us reasons to laud, admire and sympathize with a man who brought so much joy to so many people.
Movie Review: Fantastic Performance By Downey As Chaplin
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow, this is one of the finest acting jobs I have seen as Robert Downey Jr. portrays the famous Charlie Chaplin. His performance includes some of Chaplin's famous slapstick moves and Downey is tremendous at executing them.
To the film's credit ,it does show both the good and bad sides to this famous man. But it's definitely biased. Just check out how they portray J. Edgar Hoover, a man Hollywood loves to hate (along with any Conservative or Republican). Hoover is pictured as mean-spirited and nasty throughout, and is even blasted in the ending credits! (His first speech at a dinner table, intended to show him in a negative actually shows him to be prophetic whether Tinseltown ever admits it or not.)
Regarding Chaplin, if the film was the truth (that's always a big "if"), then it WAS a real miscarriage of justice to kick him out of the country for having a baby he didn't produce. Nevertheless, most of the film centers around his career and his wives, most of whom were very pretty with great figures.....but too young, most of them being teenagers!
Also shown nicely in the film are Chaplin's talent, his obsession with work, his great friendship with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (Kevin Kline), the great films he produced and the sympathy he had with the American poor. On the other side, in addition to his pedophile instincts, one wonders why Chaplin never became an American citizen? They certainly did not help his cause.
The movie sports a big-name cast, with Kline probably providing the most likable role next to Downey. The women were very interesting: from Geraldine Chaplin playing Charlie's insane, pathetically-sad mother to beauties like Milla Jovovich, Diane Lane and Moria Kelly, the latter playing Chaplin's final and devoted wife "Oona."
Also in here are some big names: Anthony Hopkins, Dan Ackroyd, Penelope Ann Miller, Marissa Tomei, James Woods, Nancy Travis and Paul Rhys. They all help make this a memorable biography. It's beautifully filmed with a number of stunning scenes and also has a classy soundtrack. I'd like to see this on Blu-Ray! The story's ending is manipulative, but it works. It always brings a tear to my eye.
I liked what they did at the end with the small biographies of all the leading characters and visually showing who played each one. I wish all films did that.
Movie Review: So Right To Have Remained British
Summary: 5 Stars
It is probably not the best film ever made about Charlie Chaplin, and I even think it is far behind Charlie Chaplin's own autobiography on which it is supposed to be based. But it makes a couple of points rather well. First, show business is business first of all. Brutal, expeditious, pitiless, cruel, full of hate and with hardly any love, except the illusion of a companionship they call love in Hollywood. But we know that. And even the FBI or McCarthy could not touch that: business money is business money and cannot be spoiled even if the owner is a communist or at least is accused of being one. Second, McCarthyism was an ugly adventure in the USA, but it is shown as having run in the texture of the country from the very start and particularly after the Russian revolution. The best part about it is that it made American politicians suspicious of anything that was not lauding the USA as THE ONLY country of freedom (except of course for those that have been declared unwanted characters, or anything that could in anyway seem to be supporting the poor, the working class, the underlings of this egotistic world. The portrait of Edgar Hoover is that of a fanatic, a fundamentalist, and yet nothing but an apparatchik that never leaves his pacifying desk and the comfortable warmth of his office. Third, this film shows so well through Chaplin's own life how the world changed and how no politician can stop it. A politician can make some people suffer, at times a lot when he has the means to go out and wage war, but even so he will not be able to change history, to stop history, to even strand or wreck history. Hitler is the best case at hand. The amount of suffering he caused is enormous and yet did he stop history, did he block it into some eternal barbaric dictatorship? Of course not. And Charlie Chaplin's wisecrack about not having the honor of being a Jew is the best answer anyone could do to any attempt at hijacking history: I don't have the honor of being your victim, and if I were your victim I would be honored to be one of them, to have their company. British wit and humor at the same time as British caustic sarcasm. Beautiful!
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines
Movie Review: A brief comment
Summary: 5 Stars
Downey's performance in Chaplin is a one-man tour de force. Done at a time before Downey's own problems started creating problems for his acting career, it is probably the role for which he will be best remembered. Downey shows Chaplin to be a complex, multifacetted man who had many both good and bad qualities, but most importantly, was a creative and even visionary artist whose approach still couldn't halt the advent of the talkies. As Downey says in the movie, "If the little tramp speaks, the mystery is gone." But for better or for worse, the technology and the art of cinema were taking off in a different direction, after which it would never be quite the same. Overall Downey's best movie and one that should stand the test of time.
Byt the way, this is an interesting snippet from a brief bio of Chaplin's life from the IMBD website, which I thought I'd post here:
"In contrast to many of his boisterous characters, Chaplin was a quiet man who kept to himself a lot. He also had an "un-millionaire" way of living. Even after he had accumulated millions, he continued to live in shabby accommodations.
In 1921 Chaplin was decorated by the French government for his outstanding work as a filmmaker, and was elevated to the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1952. In 1972 he was honored with an Academy Award for his "incalculable effect in making motion pictures the art form of the century." In 1975 England's Queen Elizabeth II knighted him. Chaplin's other works included musical scores he composed for many of his films. He also authored two autobiographical books, "My Autobiography" in 1964 and its companion volume, "My Life in Pictures" in 1974. Chaplin died of natural causes on December 25, 1977 at his home in Switzerland.
In 1978, Chaplin's corpse was stolen from its grave and was not recovered for three months; he was re-buried in a vault surrounded by cement. Charlie Chaplin was considered one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of American cinema, whose movies were and still are popular throughout the world, and have even gained notoriety as time progresses. His films show, through the Little Tramp's positive outlook on life in a world full of chaos, that the human spirit has and always will remain the same.
Movie Review: An Oscar Worthy Performance
Summary: 5 Stars
"Chaplin" starring Robert Downey, Jr. as the Little Tramp from the silent film era does something truly remarkable. It tells the story of Charlie Chaplin, flaws and all, and still makes you admire and respect the man.
The film, covering a period of roughly 70-80 years, could easily have become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the history, the characters, the events, but it flows so smoothly that never once did I glance at the clock.
Downey turns in the performance of a lifetime. Nothing against Al Pacino, who won the Academy Award that year for "Scent of a Woman", but Downey was clearly shortchanged in nothing short of highway robbery in his loss of the big award.
His Chaplin is thoughtful, inspiring, flawed, creative, torn, troubled and a genius, all at the same time. The real Chaplin's obvious gift for pantomine and entertaining is evident in this film, as well as his hardscrabble upbringing and his obvious liking of very young women as his paramours. (His last marriage, to the teenage Oona O'Neill, is shown as a real and affectionate marriage from both sides, and not the leering older man going after the young girl, as was the vast opinion at the time).
The film is chock full of talent, from Kevin Kline, Marisa Tomei, Moira Kelly, Penelope Ann Miller, Diane Lane, Anthony Hopkins, James Woods . . .a real "who's who" of the Hollywood community. And yet, the film truly belongs to Downey.
The sets and scenery are beautiful and I loved seeing how Hollywood must have been back in the 1910s and 1920s.
If you are a Chaplin aficionado, you will embrace and enjoy this look at his remarkable life - - even if you aren't a Chaplin fan, you can learn why Chaplin was such a revered man in Hollywood, and certainly appreciate Downey's acting chops. This film is proof of why Hollywood keeps letting this particular bad boy come back home.
See this movie to pay respects to Chaplin, to appreciate the always great Anthony Hopkins (in a small role) and the many other stellar actors in this film, but most of all, see it to awe over Robert Downey, Jr.'s impressive and poignant turn as one of the Hollywood Greats.
Highly recommended.