Rate It
|
||||||||||||||||
Rating Averages
My Friends |
Not rated. () |
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
All Flixster |
(4310) |
2195 |
5425 |
Female |
(2255) |
1149 |
2839 |
Male |
(2055) |
1046 |
2586 |
More Like This
If you liked this, then you'll also probably like...
Got another recommendation for someone who liked this movie? Add it to the list!
Got an opinion? Use the buttons to vote on all the suggestions people have added.
If lots of people vote, the best suggestions will rise to the top.
| The French Lieutenant's Woman (33%) |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Gandhi (75%) |
|
|
| Beowulf (1999) (33%) |
|
|
| Mulholland Drive (33%) |
|
|
| Blue Sky (50%) |
|
|
Plot:
Sir Richard Attenborough's biographical film of the life and times of Charles Chaplin is a little thin as a narrative, but it is so charmingly creative and ultimately moving, it's hard to care about a...( read more 
)
Meet Other Fans
ONLINE NOW
Recent Reviews
-
MCT:August 13, 2008At the Time I watched this Movie, ages ago, I wasnt a Downey Jr. Hater, watever. Still I didnt like the Movie much. He wasnt convicing inough as Charlie Chaplin. If I go in to Details, this review gonna turn in a Newspaper. GAAWWDD DAMMIT I CAN NOT remember why I hate ROBERT DOWNEY JR. so much now. I was never his fan, but still used to enjoy Movies with him. **shruggs**
Flixster - Share Movies -
MCT:August 12, 2008One of the best works done by Robert Downey, Jr. Before IRON MAN, Robert showed how talented he was by protraying one of Hollywoods greatest entertainers, Charlie Chaplin. A great Drama that had ever been told.
-
MCT:July 21, 2008A magnificent biography film that is much in the style of "My Left Foot". It has the same thing where there is the jumps in time between present time and the person's past. Robert Downey, Jr. could not have been more perfectly cast to play one of the greatest comedians in movie history. There will be more to come later.
-
MCT:July 14, 2008Inspired casting in Downey jr, he portrays Chaplin with such accuracy and affection, it really is a joy to watch. I've only seen 3 of chaplins films but after watching this I'm definitely going to seek out all his masterpieces.
-
MCT:June 20, 2008
i liked this movie. it was cool yet interesting. robert downey jr. did great. ive noticed a pattern in these types of movies that is about an eminent persons life. some of them are oscar nominated like this, the aviator, and la vie en rose
-
MCT:June 6, 2008
Al Pacino, after being robed on many occasions himself, decides to repay the favour by robing Downey Jr. in his best performance, nothing much else wrong in this either.
-
MCT:May 16, 2008
Robert Downey Jr gives one of the best performances EVER, seriously! This movie has a certain charm and beauty about it which I love.
-
MCT:May 11, 2008
The movie itself was okay. However, Robert Downey Jr. was, in fact, fantastic. At times he seemed to just disappear into his role and I forgot I was watching my favorite actor, which is no easy feat.
-
MCT:April 14, 2008
Interesting portrayal of an iconic figure. Downey Jr sadly fucked up his career after this, but he seems to be starting to return to better stuff.
-
MCT:April 12, 2008
A flawed but fascinating look on the private life of Charles Chaplin, the best reason for watching it is Robert Downey Jr.'s performance. Although Al Pacino is an excellent actor and won the Oscar that year for "Scent of a Woman", I'd say that Downey Jr. was robbed.
-
MCT:February 6, 2008
The Flixter reviewer descibes the narrative as "a little thin". Telling the story of this man's life in one short movie has to be a "little thin". He was exraordinary! And this movie is also extraordinary. Robert Downey Jr is perfect as the title character. The same reviewer also says it is "charmingly creative" and "ultimatrely moving". It is indeed!
-
MCT:February 5, 2008
I went to the cinema 2 see this and though i thought it was informative, my 4 friends that i was with all fell asleep well before the movie was finished its a long 1 watch at ur peril lol
-
MCT:February 5, 2008
downey junior is pretty good as charlie chaplin, showing his early days in england doing comedy theatre, hollywood and his famous films and finaly his troubles with the american goverment, and eventual exile in swirzerland, all bases are covered well, but oviously like al film biographies many events condensed or dramatised, but done well, any fan of chaplin should like this as i feel junior does him justice not just his off screen persona, his english acent is superb, but any reinactments, including many of his tramp charactor, its pretty authentic, great direction by richard atenborough, with a big scope, many actors turn up in some good roles, including dan aykroyd and kevin kline, a good adition to true life charactors on film
-
MCT:December 27, 2007
I think it's important to know that I am a huge Charlie Chaplin fan. Robert Downey Jr. as him was just perfect. When choosing someone to play an important historical figure it can be difficult. Somehow the director got it spot on when choosing Robert Downey Jr. His performance was just stunning and his portrayol of Chaplin was pretty damn good. Because not many people knew what he was like away from the camera and his biography turned out to be a load of rubbish it must have been hard for him to get it right but I think he did. I would call this a must see film for everyone even if you hated Cahplin because here you get to see another side to him. A side that no one saw. A side completely different to that of the one on camera that was always making people laugh. From this you'll learn a lot more about a caring and brilliant man.
-
MCT:December 16, 2007
I finally got to see this movie and i was amazed at how well done and acted this movie is. Chaplin goes through the story of Charles Chaplin according to an autobiography by Charles Chaplin. The movie takes us through his life since he was a young boy all the way to his death. I loved how Richard Attenborough put a lot of emphasis on Chaplin's passion for comedy and film. As you will see in the film Chaplin's life wasn't filled with comedy, especially when America tried to tear him down after he built a legacy. The way i see it is that Chaplin was probably the biggest pioneer in filmmaking and comedy. To see a man who cheered up Americans during the great depression get exiled from America was unfair. He was judged for his passion of filmmaking and his creativeness. His intentions were to make people laugh and Attenborough makes sure the audience understands this. The whole story had me glued to the screen; i was amazed at this mans talent. The last scene was shot to perfection. You see Chaplin sitting in his wheelchair being pushed on to the academy awards stage and he arrives on the stage while the audience is watching clips from his films. You can just see the reaction on his face, one of relief and joy that the audience is enjoying what they are seeing and then you see a tear stream down Chaplin's face. This scene contains so much emotion that i can't explain the importance of it in words. Robert Downey Jr. gives a dazzling performance as Chaplin and what i find to be the best performance of his career. I have admiration for Al Pacino's role in Scent of a Woman but i truly believe that Robert Downey Jr. deserved to win that Oscar for Best Actor. A hard one to pick from, but its the truth. This is one masterpiece with a great cast that you shouldn't miss. Chaplin is definitely on my top 3 list of favorite movies.
-
MCT:December 16, 2007
Worth seeing for Robert Downey Jr. and hopefully you can forgive the film's flaws. (I gave the film an extra star just because of his performance it's just that good)
-
MCT:November 20, 2007
Excellent! :D An awesome cast and an excellent story! :) Robert Downey Jr. is awesome at playing Chaplin. While this is a great movie based on Chaplin's autobiography, I felt it was missing some of the deeper parts of Chaplin. He was a producer and director of his own films as well! While it is clear he is more than his slapstick character, I am intruiged at the purposes behind his ideas for his films which I felt this film only touched on briefly. But, I will guess I will have to watch his films to get more of an insight into that.
-
MCT:November 1, 2007I am surprised that Charlie Chaplin's autobiography written by Richard Attenborough and portrayed in the film entitled "Chaplin" makes no mention of the events of 1952 shortly before being told to leave the United States of America and indeed the reasons why he was told to leave America.
But there again, upon reflection, anything to do with HRH Prince David, the Duke of Windsor would be considered taboo by the present Royal family and frowned upon if printed as part of an autobiography or shown in a film. In addition, the Baron of Richmond upon Thames has, like his neighbour at Thatched House Lodge in Richmond Park (namely Princess Alexandra of Kent), to consider the cost of telling the truth about the present Royal Family, haven't they?
It was a traumatic and confusing time in February 1952 when the illegitimate son of King George VI and HRH the Princess Marina, the Duchess of Kent, was taken to West Butterwick near Scunthorpe (where he was being fostered by distant relatives of the Churchills in Scunthorpe - namely the Hughes family) to be greeted by the last Earl Spencer and taken to Althorp Hall near Northampton. At Sandringham, the dying King George VI said that he was sorry to the young lad of six years of age for what he did at St Donats Castle in South Wales shortly before he began his fostered life in Scunthorpe in 1948. King George VI was concerned about the well-being of his illegitimate son after his death and gave instructions to the effect that when the Olympic Games open in Helsinki later in the year his illegimate son's safety should be carefully assessed a'nd, if found to be wanting and of concern. arrangements should be made for that illegitimate son to go to Argentina with the athletes representing Argentina at the Olympic Games in Helsinki. Instructions were then given by King George VI that a letter should be prepared and given to his illegitimate son to give to Eva Peron (with whom King George VI was very much in love). Before he was fostered in Scunthorpe, the illegitimate son of King George VI accompanied King George VI and Eva Peron on reported trips to see Princess Mary at Harewood House near Leeds when in fact the destination was a love-nest in a flat in Derby Chambers in the centre of Bury overlooking Mary the Virgin Church. The illegitimate son of King George VI also stayed with Eva Peron at a hotel near Exeter after things went terribly wrong at Newton Abbot.
When summer came in that year of 1952 the illegitimate son of King George VI was taken to Helsinki and he travelled with the Argentine Olympics team clutching the prepared letter which he had to give to Eva Peron ONLY and NO ONE ELSE. Despite attempts on the 'plane to steal the letter, the illegitimate son of King George VI hung-on to the letter with his life. The reason why they tried to take it away from him will be apparent as you read on. The room in which he saw Eva Peron, who was in her bed, had a large window to my left as I looked at Eva in her bed and to Eva's right as she looked at me. She said, "You are the son I always wanted". Eva's illness began just outside the Town Hall in Bury after Prince Philip found out that Eva was pregnant and thumped her extremely hard in the stomach for the purpose of killing in her womb my half-brother. I gave Eva the letter with which I had been entrusted and Eva told me that your father would like me to look after you in Argentina. In fact, King George VI message was to the effect that "If you believe you can bring-up my son in Argentina then please do so". "If, however, you are not able to do so then peel back the emblem and join me". Eva the kept on asking me if King George VI was indeed dead. His death had apparently been kept from her. In the letter, King George VI said that Peron was guarding Eva for her own safety and that he had also deployed agents in Argentina to make certain that she did not fall into the hands of George Bush. This was because in 1948 on the occasion of the Olympic Games in London, George Bush had had a young woman killed near Hangman's Hill in Bedfordshire so that he could have sex with her after she was dead. Eva knew all about this and that King George VI had ordered that George Bush was kicked out of the UK. Eva looked at me and told me to look out the window for a minute. This I did. When I looked at her again she did not move. I left the room saying to the her maid that Eva had fallen asleep.
The funeral, I was told, was a rehearsal for a person of high standing in Argentina. I kept asking if Eva had decided whether or not I would be living with her in Argentina. Something was terribly wrong. Peron locked me away but the door was often open and the food was very good and served on a silver tray. I was told that Eva was not able because of her health to look after me and that I will be taken to the Unite States of America. The Queen Mother was very much involved with George Bush wrt to my immediate future. Someone said that I had killed Eva Peron and I was totally distraught. I am not certain whether I was told that I had killed Eva Peron before or after Bush and the Queen Mother had made arrangements to see a Doctor in Malaya.
After that application of crude electrical treatment, all I could recall was the sea, the sky and that beach somewhere on the Indian Ocean where I had been dumped. I had no memory of anything. I was told by the natives that it was their custom to shit and piss on little white boys in a morning. I did what they said and slept under leaves on the beach at night. Out of nowhere, someone bent down and looked at me. "Don't worry", he said. "Help is on its way". The only thing that seemed familiar was a cigarette card which I found on the beach and displayed a picture of Charlie Chaplin in his tramp's outfit.
Uncle David, the Duke of Windsor, literally came flying-in and took me to another beach which was however much closer to home - namely the Algarve. When Uncle David found the cigarette card which I had hung-on to, he contacted Charlie Chaplin and explained that I had lost all memory but that he was familiar. He asked Charlie Chaplin if he would help to bring back my memory. "What do you want me to do?" asked Charlie Chaplin. Uncle David said that if Charlie Chaplin would come over to the Algarve and walk around in his tramp's outfit there might be a chance that memories will come back. "He must have seen you somewhere to recognise you from the cigarette card", said Uncle David. Uncle David was worried and Charlie Chaplin on recognising his concern agreed to do as he wanted. When Charlie Chaplin arrived and walked around in his tramp's outfit I could not help but laugh. "Where have you seen me before?", he asked. "In a cinema", I said. "What is a cinema?", Charlie asked. "A place where films are shown?", I said. "But where, in which town, which country?" Charlie asked. It was not so dramatic as I have just related but it is a good condensed summary of the process by which my memory began to come back. Charlie Chaplin came with Uncle David to Sirhowy Country Park in South Wales, Trelewis and Machin House near Caerphilly where and when, with the help of Princess Margaret disguised as a boy and members of other Royal Households, I began to think and remember normally. Friends from Scunthorpe came to South Wales and memories of Scunthorpe soon came back. Unfortunately, or fortunately no doubt in the eyes of the Queen Mother and Elizabeth II, I had no memory of my earlier childhood before being fostered in Scunthorpe.
It was for this crucial help provided by Charlie Chaplin upon the request of the Duke of Windsor that Charlie Chaplin was told, more than any other reason, to leave the Unites States of America.
But he did go back. I was with him in 1961 with the Grimaldis, Elvis Presley, Julie London, etc. What a holiday that was! Unfortunately, George Bush eyeing a then very young HSH Princess Caroline of Monaco as a suitable wife for GW, decided to get rid/destroy the one she was seen having a good time with as a youngster during that holiday - namely, yours truly.
The next time I met Charlie Chaplin was in 1966. I had a brain tumor and Charlie paid for the operation in the United States of America. After the operation, I felt a lot better and we got on like a house on fire.
There is a lot of money involved - but this is not the purpose of this review/rating. The garbage they said about him because he opposed shit like Bush (or was it then Hoover) is only too similar to that which they said about me and accused me of for refusing to do what George Bush, Prince Philip and others wanted.
For the record, what they wanted me to do, was to take-up a footballing career with Manchester United and athletics in the USA (where I was born in 1945) and amongst worldwide publicity associated with those sporting events take part in an incestuous marriage to the Princess Anne. The publicity then on was to be total worlwide saturation as a result of which Bush and the Batten Bergs would have rose out of the abyss in the 1960's and when I was then to promote and condone the use of the H-bomb by the Americans in Vietnam (as starters).
This I would not do. Inheritances from Uncle David and Charlie Chaplin have, as a result, been STOLEN.
The film, based on your autobiography, is however in no manner or form as downright CRIMINAL as the film entitled "Evita" and starring Madonna as Eva Peron - it could have been financed, produced and directed by the Queen Mother! -
MCT:October 30, 2007
Directed by: Richard Attenborough.Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Geraldine Chaplin, Anthony Hopkins, Moira Kelly, Diane Lane, Dan Aykroyd, Marisa Tomei, Milla Jovovich.
Biographies of real life people made into films is certainly a tricky task, you have that weight on your shoulders of making it right. If your wanting to cover the person whole life, you have to think 'what is to be said', 'what aspects and eras of this person's life needs to be shown?', it isn't always a successful result and with Chaplin, it isn't the brilliance it could have been.
The story follows the life of Charlie Chaplin, a comedy filmmaker full of ideas and charm. From his poor childhood in England growing up to the success and the troubles in Hollywood, this is the story through Charlie's eyes, as this film is based off his autobiographical book. I am going to stat the one problem first....the script. I have heard of a 4 hour cut of this film and I would love to see that, because that could be the masterpiece. The problem is that with the main characters life being so large, a lot is jammed into a 140 minute running time, the pacing is all over the place and any impact on the audience is lost, because we are never shown enough depth into this 'wild' man and those around him....I have heard the words 'clunky storytelling' from critics and that is about right. But thats where the problems stop, because Chaplin has a lot more to offer. I have only ever known Richard Attenborough as an actor, so seeing him in a directional role for the first time for me is impressive. Alongside brilliant set design and art direction, the film looks amazing and Richard is highly creative with certain points of the story, from capturing the performance superbly, down to the hilariously well sequenced references to Chaplin's style of film making. What shocked me was how poetic the score was, even if some insight of the character issn't as fulfilling as you would hope, the soulful layer of this score is amazing and adds a lot of emotional range. The acting ensemble is large and full of brilliance and I would spend pages covering them all, but the only man to mention is Robert Downey Jr. He deserves a standing ovation (and the Oscar he only got nominated for), every range and aspect of his character is tautly and brilliantly portrayed, from his charm, his presence, his body motions and even his accent, once you see Robert as Chaplin for 10 minutes, you are lost in his performance and forget its acting, he is outstanding, a forgotten gem.
You could say the film is ultimately style over substance, with a large life to cover, the screenplay falls short with strange pacing and the lack of brilliance to make it just that....I hope for the 4 hour cut one day. But aside from that downfall with this version, Chaplin is a highly creative, charming and even emotional portrayal of Charlie Chaplin, thanks to Robert Downey Jr's perfect performance and Richard Attenborough's strong direction. A forgotten gem. -
MCT:October 11, 2007
Attenborough's attention to detail and following Chaplin's autobiography "my life " give a rare glimpse into the life of a legend
-
MCT:September 30, 2007
this movie was really good!! i wish that they would have told more about his kids and relationships with his wives!! but other than that it was so good!! robert downey jr was amazing, u could actually believe he really was charlie and some actors can't do that!!
-
MCT:September 1, 2007
An excellent film about the great CharlieChaplin. Great to see so many great actors in the one film. Robert Downey Jr. plays an excellent Chaplin and this is a film not to be missed
My Friends Said...
Chaplin Recent Reviews
Register or sign-in to see your friends' reviews !
Comments
-
ModernChaplin06posted 411 days ago -
Oh, what a magnificent performance of Robert Downey Jr. A really amazing film as well, with great actors like Kevin Kline that really knows how to put a tear on your eyes.
posted 603 days ago
