Sadly Over-hyped

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

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

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.

Charlie Chaplin is truly a character. On the screen, as well as off the screen, for nearly a century, Charlie Chaplin held a position of esteem within the domain of cinema that can never be topped. Those who have read the autobiography that this film is based on will go into the film knowing that Charlie Chaplin was as iconic on-screen as he was vulnerable in print. His autobiography is a very honest account. Unlike many biopics, "Chaplin" doesn't take the cheap route of portraying an unflawed and idealized version of the iconic actor. The film confronts his shortcomings that the actor was courageous to admit. Chaplin, was at various times, a serial womanizer who engaged in more than one "age inappropriate" relationship throughout the course of his life. Like many any Hollywood and the film industry, Chaplin often abused his power in the industry to take advantage of star struck women. This self-destructive tendency to get into troublesome relationships plagues Chaplin throughout his entire adult life. But from all of these imperfections, emerges an individual who was a deeply troubled artist struggling to come to terms with both his art and the global nature of his fame. Although the movie seems inadequate at times, overall, the 1992 film "Chaplin" starring Robert Downey Jr. is a humanistic portrayal that is just as beautiful as the person it portrays. "Chaplin" follows Charlie Chaplin's life from his humble origins in England all the way to fame and fortune in Hollywood. Although Chaplin was born and worked as an actor in England, his pursuit of an acting career eventually takes him to Montana in the United States where he inadvertently begins a film career that would turn him into a global icon. The film does use some rags to riches clichés. When Chaplin was first in England, he had trouble getting into restaurants because of his affiliation with theater which was looked down upon by high society. Years later, when he returned to England after spending years making films, the crowd that came to see him was so large that he needed a police escort just to get off of his train. Yet, it is that very recognizable identity and fame that made it difficult for the young Chaplin to call anywhere other than Hollywood home. Charlie Chaplin was not afraid to step into politics and make his voice heard. As an artist, such genuine passion is truly commendable. But this characteristic often made Chaplin a target. Fortunately, "Chaplin" doesn't shy away from portraying this part of Charlie Chaplin's distinguished life. Although Chaplin had adopted the United States as his home, during the tense time of the Cold War, Chaplin ended up being targeted for his beliefs. After years of undue suspicion and malicious court cases, Chaplin was kicked out of the country in 1952 as a tragic victim of McCarthyism. The film makes it a point to convey that Chaplin's film career was inextricably tied to the man's political and social views. In fact, at a time when filmmakers were questioning the role of cinema as a form of social commentary, Chaplin was a pioneer in making silent films that spoke volumes about the contemporary society of the time.But the greatest point in Chaplin's esteemed career came at the worst point for humanity itself. While the world was tearing itself apart fighting a second world war, Chaplin stood up, made a risky film about Adolph Hitler himself, and told the world, "Do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed – the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish". The real Charlie Chaplin was not just an actor. He was the voice of a generation. To his credit, Robert Downey Junior does justice to what is truly a very difficult role.A tear might actually roll down your cheek by the time you get to the end of this movie. In the final scene, Chaplin, weakened by old age and a full life, confronts the timelessness of the art form he created. People will always remember him as a version of himself that even he no longer remembers. A tear rolls down Chaplin's cheek on screen. Chaplin's career was a culmination of being a talented actor, at the right place, at the right time. Charlie Chaplin may have died in 1977, but the global reach and timelessness of Chaplin's work endures. "Chaplin" the film is a touching homage to a truly remarkable individual. At the end of his life, Chaplin told everyone that time was his greatest enemy. But there is much reason to disagree with this assertion. Time is the medium through which films work their magic. Chaplin manipulated time in his pictures to capture a perspective of the human experience that can touch audiences a century later with equal effectiveness. Time is his greatest friend.

Before I watch the movie, I thought that Chaplin's life was some kind a typical Hollywood actor's life: glamorous and easy; and he was the greatest actor of the 20's. But the movie completely changed my mind; now I'm able to see the real Chaplin, the one with a troubled love life, controversy political views and a big effort to achieve what he wanted, even having serious problems in his early life. Robert Downey Jr. is in one of his greatest performances as an actor, letting the viewer sometimes immerse completely itself inside the story. The movie has lots of beautiful shots, using the maximum of the photography art as possible to connect the image with the feelings which the director is trying to transmit. The narrative of the movie that tries to let it with some kind of a explanation behind each scene, moving through the past to the future is a little annoying sometimes, but it can't take the credit of the movie that tries to do a Chaplin's narrative-biography.I strongly recommend to watch, if you don't like Charles Chaplin's work, you might be interested in see what is his real history and the wonderful performances of the film.

I won't review the movie itself, as many people have done so and I do believe Robert Downey's performance as Charlot was very good as well as some of his support actors.I want to talk about the old Charles Chaplin's make-up. One thing that Hollywood can't get right yet is that of aging an actor. No matter how many make up techniques they use, how much experience make-up artists have, aging an actor is a real feat for them. Why can't they just find a look-alike actor around the same age of the character instead of making one look like a fake human?In this case, when Charlie is at his Switzerland house being interviewed by Hopkin's character, his face instead of looking 'aged' looks more like as if he's had a fire accident and his features are the result of a bad burning and a myriad of surgeries where he lost most of his hair and his eyebrows.To make matters worse, when he's waiting on his wheelchair awaiting for his academy award, his face looks like it is the result of a real bad face transplant, the shape of his eyes look weird, his lips look very stiff and badly shaped and his skin looks very waxy and and like it's melting with the lights. To be honest it reminded me a lot the face of the Phantom of the Opera of 1925. It's almost unbearable to watch and spoils the film's great performances.Now, for some reason, when Robert Downey Jr. had this make up on, his performance was very wrong (besides being a 20-ish years old playing a non believable 60-something years old man), a thumbs down for the great Richard Attenborough. But when you watch footage of interviews of Chaplin at this age (60s), he was really such a sweetheart, very kind, still funny and very smiley. Downey's Old Chaplin looks sad, dark, depressed, boring, dry, uninteresting, and of course he looks like anybody else but not like the great Charles Chaplin when old.