Chaplin

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Geraldine Chaplin, Paul Rhys, John Thaw, Moira Kelly, Anthony Hopkins, Dan Aykroyd, Marisa Tomei, Penelope Ann Miller, Kevin Kline, Maria Pitillo, Milla Jovovich, Kevin Dunn, Diane Lane, Deborah Moore, James Woods, David Duchovny
Directed by: Richard Attenborough
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
1992

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Charlie Chaplin (Robert Downey Jr.) rises from poverty to becoming the biggest movie star in the world.

Review:

Tim: I was really excited to finally watch Chaplin. It's a movie that has always eluded me. I really like Charlie Chaplin and I marvel at what he was able to accomplish. I'm also a fan of Robert Downey Jr., so it seemed like a perfect match. I really enjoyed the movie- it features a tremendous cast and tells a nice story about Chaplin's life. Richard Attenborough directs a thoroughly effective movie. Now, while I enjoyed it quite a lot, I wouldn't quite call this a great movie. It's really good, but it's not one of the best biopics.

While the movie is executed well, it felt like it never really dug into Chaplin as a person. By the end of the very long movie (2 hours, 23 minutes is a bit excessive), I felt like I saw Chaplin's life, but I didn't really get a better sense of who he was as a person. The movie is focused on portraying the events of Chaplin's life without really getting under his skin. I wanted to know what drove him, what his passions were. We needed a deeper emotional connection to this character, to understand him deeply. The movie doesn't quite get to this level. It tells a story about a life, but it doesn't really connect to the core of who Chaplin was. He felt like a person on a page, not a flesh and blood, complex and fully realized character. This is the biggest issue I had with the movie. There's a huge cast and that was fun to see, but I wanted a more introspective film. We needed a deeper understanding of who Chaplin was. That would have made this movie great.

As is, though, we get a thoroughly entertaining look at Chaplin's life, so I'm not complaining too much. It was fun too see Chaplin overcome his early struggles and realize his genius. The movie doesn't stop there, though. Some of the best scenes take place after his initial success. Chaplin lived in a fascinating time- making his mark in silent movies, but then struggled (as so many did) when the new technology of talking movies took over. Chaplin didn't disappear, though. He did adapt somewhat and had a few big hits towards the end of his career. I appreciated that being depicted here.

The movie does feel like it spends a lot of time on the various women in Chaplin's life. This was obviously a critical aspect of his life, but it felt like it was almost like a checklist. We don't get to spend enough time with any of these women to truly understand how they impacted and changed Chaplin's life. I honestly get some of them confused as I think back on the movie. I wish they had either spent more time with the women in his life, or alternatively, focused more on his movies. I do wish we got to see more of his creative process. He was a genius in so many ways and I wish we'd seen more of that. I do recognize it's odd that I complaining about us not getting enough time on things in a movie that is already overly long. This is another complaint I have. Where did Attenborough spend his 2.5 hours? It's not always on the most fascinating aspects of Chaplin's life.

I did love Robert Downey Jr.'s performance as Chaplin. Downey is such a good actor and I love that he was able to fully immerse himself into this character. He absolutely channels Chaplin in so many ways. He gives a physical, impressive performance. He has some of that same charisma and sparkles that Chaplin had. It was great fun seeing him inhabit this role and I was glad he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

The supporting cast is great, although many of them have quite small roles. Anthony Hopkins is going to make every movie better and he does so here, in a small role. He doesn't get much to do, but I smiled whenever he was on screen. Dan Aykroyd was fantastic- he elevates a small role into one of the most enjoyable, memorable of the entire film. He was terrific and his scenes are among the best in the movie. I enjoyed his back-and-forth with Downey. Marisa Tomei and Penelope Ann Miller both had small roles, but it was fun seeing them here. Kevin Kline gave an outstanding performance as Douglas Fairbanks. He really stepped into this role and gave a strong performance. Milla Jovovich had a few memorable scenes, but her story kind of fades away. I liked seeing Diane Lane here, but I wish she had more interesting things to do. Not that it's noteworthy, but I enjoyed seeing David Duchovny in a small role. When you look at the cast on paper, it's just fantastic. I wouldn't quite say that Attenborough fully leveraged them, though. The cast is too good for such small parts.

I would definitely call Chaplin a very strong movie. It feels like a quintessential 1990s biopic. Yes, it's overly long and it doesn't always focus on the right things, but it also delivers so many great moments. Attenborough needed to pull these together more effectively to make a great movie, but this is still a film well worth seeing. In addition to Downey Jr.'s nomination, the movie did get two other nominations- Best Art Direction/Set Direction and Best Original Score. It didn't win any, which is probably right. This is a really good movie, but it's not great.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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