The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

The Tramp cares for an abandoned child, but events put that relationship in jeopardy. The Kid holds quite well for such an old film but it's definitely not one of Chaplin's best films since it has it's fair share of storytelling problems which don't really affect the movie completely except a small part of it. The acting was good and the story was sentimental for sure but it could have also been much much better as a whole but it still still a nice touch seeing a different side of Charlie Chaplin and raising a kid but also the problems that that responsibility has. (7/10)

One of the earliest feature-length Charlie Chaplin films. Once again his famous character, The Tramp, has to deal with the ever changing and ever challenging world while still retaining good humour and a stiff upper lip about it. This time he faces the most heinous of challenges: parenthood!The film is rather similar to so many other Chaplin classics. Because let's face it, they're all the same. Tramp does something funny, Tramp faces a challenge, rinse and repeat as needed, a happy ending. The central conflict always changes, but the general structure remains the same. That being said, there are several good things going for this film. I really like Jackie Coogan as the eponymous kid, for example. The boy has charisma and it tickles my fancy that years later he ended up playing Uncle Fester in the original Addams family TV series. You can sort of see it even here.It's also notable that most of the humour segments serve the story. This is quite often not the case with Chaplin films, or with silent era comedies in general. There is one segment near the end that's purely there just for slapstick and funny situations, but for the most part all the humour also drives the plot forward. Which I really like.Not the best Chaplin film I've seen, but easily in the Top 5.

"The Kid" released in 1921 is the story of a tramp (played by Charlie Chaplin) that comes into caring for an orphaned child. The movie made me feel so many things! I felt happy for both the kid and the tramp in that they found each other and were able to formulate a life together. I enjoyed seeing their relationship progress and develop. I couldn't help but think about the kid's mother and feel sad for her, though I enjoyed seeing the tramp come into his own through taking care of the kid. The film was written by Charlie Chaplin, and I enjoyed seeing how Charlie as a writer developed the relationship and love and care between the kid and the tramp. I thought he did a great job in that regard, however, for me it bothers me when there are loose ends in stories and the mother's role and absence in the story really bothered me.Charlie Chaplin also directed the film, and I felt that he did a great job with both the performances of the actors and with the rhythm of the scenes. Jackie Coogan in particular did a wonderful job. His ability to play such a range of emotion – from being a loving child to the tramp, to "toughening up" when the other kid stole his toys, to all of his hurt and anguish when the men were trying to take him to the orphanage. I enjoyed the pacing of the scene where the kid is making breakfast. There's something that's so great and nuanced seeing how they interact with each other and how something so little can be so funny and enjoyable. Edited as well by Charlie Chaplin, I enjoyed the scene where the kid's toys get stolen from the boy and the shots cut between a wide of the two kids fighting, a medium of the two fighting, and onlookers cheering on the fight. I enjoyed the way that those shots were cut together in that they paced things out nicely and allowed for a great entrance by the tramp to come in and rescue the kid. In "The Kid", Roland Totheroh does the cinematography. I felt that the quality of the lighting added to the mood of the film in that there was a lot of great contrast. I feel that it's hard to articulate the quality of the lighting with the film done in black and white, but overall each shot seemed to have quite a bit of contrast, which I felt added a lot to the film, particularly in the outdoor scenes. The outdoor scenes were light and airy as opposed to the scenes in the tramp's home that felt a little darker and moodier, but still felt very homey and comforting. All in all, I enjoyed the film. As expressed previously, the only part for me that was particularly jarring was the storyline of the kid's mom. I would have liked to see that aspect of the story come a little more full circle.

What can be said about Chaplin that hasn't been said before. He truly helped invent the art of cinema. I always remember a film teacher of mine telling me that sound came too quickly - that silent films were just coming into their own and that the rush to include sound prevented silent films from reaching their full potential. For those who say they don't like silents - then you can't say you love film. That said and done, THE KID does the near impossible. It has you laughing one minute and crying the next. But the emotions elicited by this film are real. There's no manipulation here. That's the sign of a true genius.