Helio This is film of great performances. Robert Downey Jr is incredible as Charlie Chaplin. Kevin Kline is an excellent Douglas Fairbanks. Geraldine Ctaplin is splendid playing her own grandmother. Maria Pitillo has too small a role as Mary Pickford. It is one of Milla Jovovich's early roles when she was sixteen but looks older. Kevin Dunne is persuasive as J Edgar Hoover. Dan Akroyd is his annoying self as Mack Sennet. Diane Lane offers up a compelling Paulette Goddard. James Wood is a grating lawyer. David Duchovny and Marisa Tomei also have roles. Downey was rightfully nominated for an oscar for his role but lost out to Al Pacino (in Scent of a Woman).The telling of the story was interrupted with irritating scenes of Chaplin discussing his autobiography with his publisher. It seems these might be ways around parts of the biography that were unclear or left out.The film offered glimpses into the silent era of Hollywood and documented some of the tribulations that Charlie Chaplin encountered in his life. Like any movie it couldn't do justice to a fifty year career but was a remarkable effort.

isadoradestri When people think about Silent Movies, the first name – if not the only one – that pops into mind is 'Charlie Chaplin'. The hat, the toothbrush moustache, the twirling cane and the awkwardly funny walk are unmistakable elements of his character. You might have seen a few of his productions, some clips shown randomly, but that is generally it. Everything most people know about Charlie Chaplin is restricted to his movie performances – or at least it was so for me. I knew he was a British silent movie actor, and about his film Modern Times. I knew of his peculiar ways of acting, and dressing, and walking – and that was it. We only know Chaplin, the character – not Chaplin, the man – and we often mistake one for the other. After watching this movie, we can paint a clearer picture of who he was. We learn about his difficult childhood, in a poor neighbourhood with a mentally ill mother; about his many love interests and troubled relationships; about his juridical problems; that he was persecuted by McCarthyism and banish from the United States accused of communism. We get to see Chaplin building his career, the background to his movie ideas and the many accomplishments he made in different areas inside film making. Taking all that into consideration, I still see Chaplin as the funny persona with the peculiar ways, but a completely new layer was added to him. I can see now how he had a troubled life, and how he could be a serious, grave men in reality – nothing like his roles is his movies. Now, I personally see his movies as an escape to the troubled times he and the world were going through – an alternative to all the tension and seriousness life dumped at him. For me, the reason he is so famous still to this day is because of the capacity his movies had to transmit the values and the events of his time in an accurate and critic way – but without losing their funny and entertaining touch. He could capture both the spirit of his time and the public's undivided attention with such mastery that his movies have lasted a century and will last many more. He had such great accomplishments in the movie industry, and gained so much recognition that his name was not forgotten to this day. Adding to the biographical aspects of the movie, was also the way it was presented that got my attention. Even though it is a current movie, and filmed in such way, there were scenes in which you could see the memory of a Silent Movie. Incorporating those scenes was a great way of honouring the work of Chaplin, and of balancing the seriousness of his life with the lightness of his movies – for when those kinds of scenes were presented, the heavy tone of the movie would dissipate, giving place to a lighter, funnier atmosphere. They did to his biography the same thing his own movies did to his life. All these aspects make this a worth-watching movie. The production gives us background to understanding more deeply Chaplin's work, and allows us to know a little bit more about the man behind the ideas and funny scenes. It contributes to honouring Chaplin's memory and to allowing it to live on for as long as it possibly can.

gavin6942 A film about the troubled and controversial life of the master comedy filmmaker Charles Chaplin.What can I say? This was a really good film. It touched on all the highlights of Chaplin's career, both high and low. And even with the lengthy run time, I feel like it could have been even longer. It had such a great pace and was enjoyable to watch. And the cast. Wow. Milla Jovovich before she blew up? Diane Lane? Very good casting.Robert Downey Jr nailed it. He has the look, he did the physical comedy, and that had to take a lot of training... the drunk routine, wow! I am so glad that Downey is back on top these days with "Iron Man" and other films. He had a rough patch for a while, but he is far better of an actor than he is generally given credit for.

SnoopyStyle Charlie Chaplin (Robert Downey Jr.) is recalling memories for his autobiography writer George Hayden (Anthony Hopkins). As a child in England, Chaplin witnesses his mother Hannah Chaplin (Geraldine Chaplin) chased off the stage by a crowd and he immediately takes over to be a big hit. The cops take him and his brother Syd (Paul Rhys) for the workhouse. His mother goes mad and he puts her in the sanitarium. He gets hired by music hall producer Fred Karno (John Thaw). He falls for fellow performer Hetty Kelly (Moira Kelly). Producer Mack Sennett (Dan Aykroyd) hires him for the new flickers. Hetty gets married and Charlie meets secretary Edna Purviance (Penelope Ann Miller) who he turns into his actress. He befriends Douglas Fairbanks (Kevin Kline) and marries 16 year old child actress Mildred Harris (Milla Jovovich) after she lies about being pregnant. He angers J. Edgar Hoover (Kevin Dunn) before he becomes the head of the FBI. He divorces Mildred and marries Lita Grey whom he hates. Then he marries Paulette Levy (Diane Lane) whom he loves. Joan Barry (Nancy Travis) has boobs and sues him falsely successfully for paternity. He marries Oona O'Neill (Moira Kelly again). He is accused of being a communist.Richard Attenborough is trying to stuff so much of a big life into one movie. Sometimes things feel skipped over or given a limited treatment. Characters come in and out like a rotating door. The production value is sufficiently high but there isn't enough time to get it all in. The real story is understandably simplified and Attenborough tries to give it a surreal connected treatment... sometimes. There is no doubt that Robert Downey Jr. does an excellent job especially with the physical comedy. His performance is better than the film as a whole.