: Chaplin

Rating: - no title
I thought this a fine film with lots of wonderful actors - how can you go wrong with Kevin Kline and Anthony Hopkins? Never felt long at 2 1/2 hours. Robert Downey, Jr. was fantastic; he deserved the Oscar nomination. Perhaps not enough substance, which is why I didn't give it five stars.

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Rating: - An excellent film.
It must be enormously difficult to produce a worthy biographical movie, the subject matter can be less clourful than the "Famous" persona suggests. Critical scrutiny of the work is always going to be harsh and purist, particularly from family and the fan base. Chaplin is a more rounded and colourful subject than most but that notion in itself would not make the project easy.
Attenborough does a sterling job given that the story has to span several decades of enormous change, incorporate a massive cast and demonstrate Chaplin's artistic importance as well as the complexities of his personal life.
Downey Jr is an outstanding star and gives Chaplin a a fuller and more human character and face which is at once tragic, loving, driven,even sexy. His British accent is impeccable, I actually for got he is American very early on which is praise indeed from a native Brit, his Englishness was far better than Rees's Americanisation (the actor who plays Sydney Chaplin and is actually British, he is great in the role nonetheless).
Downey Jr also manages to portray a sense of iron hard strength and lost and lonely vulnerability that were the essential components of Chaplin's personality. Downey Jr also works hard to get a sense of Chaplin's balletic, choreographed comedy. Essential viewing, Downey Jr was most definitely robbed of the Oscar for this role, he did however win the BAFTA for it (British Academy Film and Television Award).

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Rating: - The greatest hollywood talent of all time was played great by Downey Jr.
We live in a time when actors have their faces, butts, chests, and legs, digitally improved for the movies, this picture shows the genious Chaplin on the cutting edge. Some actors can barely say their lines today, while Chaplin directed, acted, did choreography, and even wrote and sometimes played the music for his movies. The greatest hollywood talent of all time.

The movie of course spent more time talking about his private life which also was very interesting for the public. Robert Downey Jr. was amazing and stayed dedicated to Chaplin while his family watched on during filming. It showed the best and worst of him. Like the movie "Hoffa", a fictitional character; which wasn't needed; was used during the film and it slightly clouded up the story. From his terrible childhood as a poor English kid with a loving brother and a mother who was losing her mind, to the great break in the "flickers". People seem to love or hate this movie. I'm 40 and my fiance is 30 and we both loved it and I think most will too. I watch it all of the time and am now a Chaplin fan.

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Rating: - Unfortunately the best we have yet
Yes, this is without a doubt, the best biographic film made of Chaplin...also just about the only one. However, if you are looking to learn more about the man and his work, choose a well done documentary instead. While this film was mildly entertaining, it failed to capture the magic of Charlie and his character, the Tramp. The movie seems to skip through his life at lightening speed, touching only momentarily some of the greatest things that Chaplin is legend for. Most of the film was spent on Chaplin's personal life off camera and even that was only somwehat accurate. Many of the bits played by Chaplin are out of context and things hapen on screen which never happened in Charlie's real life. For instance, Chaplin supposedly sees his first "flicker" in Montana and it is at that time he supposedly gets a telegram from Mack Sennett about signing with Keystone to be in the "flickers." While this may add drama, this never happened. To be honest, the way Chaplin describes it in his autobiography is more dramatic than the way it was depicted in this film. As is most of the material.

The thing which is perhaps most disturbing is the appearance of the characters. If you're a true Chaplin fan, you'll know that Robert Downey Jr. is not able to pull of The Little Fellow all that well - in fact there are probably only a handful of actors that could. Downey is much more built, his head is too small in proportion to his body, and his face doesn't show the more gentle demeanor that Chaplin had. His voice was way too different was well. Of course, Chaplin was a silent actor, but he did make a series of sound films and unfortunately, Downey's voice sounded nothing like Chaplin, even the British accent. However, there are a few instances in which Downey did almost make me believe that it was Chaplin himself that I was watching.

The supporting actors weren't all that impressive either. Sydney Chaplin looked nothing like his real life counterpart, Chaplin's mother looked like a completely different person.

Chaplin's early wives are barely mentioned at all. If you haven't read his autobiography or knew about them in advance, you probably wouldn't know who they were at all. Lita Grey is hardly seen while in real life, she constituted one of the most difficult and dramatic parts of Chaplin's entire life, not to mention she gave him two children.

This film can satifsy a craving for observing the personal side of Chaplin, but I'd rather snuggle up with a biography on him written by his friends and family. They reveal what really happened and a side of Charlie that you won't see anywhere else - even in the movies. I recommend "My Father, Charlie Chaplin", written by Charlie Jr.; "My Life With Chaplin", written by Lita Grey Chaplin; "The Charlie Chaplin Interviews"; and of course Chaplin's own books, "My Autobiography," "Charlie Chaplin's Own Story," "My Life in Pictures."

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Rating: - No Oscar for Downey Jr?
I can't believe this guy doesn't have an oscar for this movie!! This movie is beyond the best he's ever done. I saw it today in the afternoon and it was just purely wonderful. The story was done beautifully. Downey Jr. at his best. Just a great actor who shows his versatility in this film. Really did amaze me in so many ways. Great film by far