Chaplin
While Robert Downey Jr. is currently one of the Kings Of Hollywood who came back from an awful drug addiction, itās key for any fan of his to look at his work ābefore the fallā and see the early potential that has now been fulfilled, most notably this 1992 release that saw him nominated for the Best Actor Oscar (and robbed by the huffing and puffing of Pacino in Scent Of A Woman).Ā Downey took on the prestigious task of playing none other than Charlie Chaplin, the first true movie star as well as the first auteur in the history of cinema.Ā Chaplin was a genius, whose work is still viewed today almost 100 years later, but he also had a penchant for underage girls and a sadly romantic yet naĆÆve outlook on the ābenefitsā of socialism, both of which would bite him in the ass in his later years.Ā While his beliefs were well-intentioned on the precepts of ending all wars and peace / goodwill among men, he wound up targeted by the U.S. government and was eventually sent into exile in Switzerland, where he lived out his life save for one trip to accept a Special Academy Award in 1972.Ā Director Richard Attenborough thankfully doesnāt shy away from most of this and depicts it as is without passing judgment on his subject.Ā Attenborough only makes the mistake of seemingly not including everything of Chaplinās admittedly grand life and giving short shrift to other topics (like why Edna Purviance, Chaplinās leading lady and lover for a number of years, was only given three minutes of screen time when she was one of the more fascinating figures in his life, is beyond me).Ā Also, Attenborough makes the near-fatal mistake of actually trying to EMULATE Chaplin during one sequence where the film becomes a speeded up slapstick chase but instead distracts greatly from the carefully woven narrative at that point.Ā Attenborough does succeed though, at wonderfully recreating old-style Hollywood of the silent era, from working on the sets to the lavish parties as the first movie stars were in many ways the most glamorous as well.Ā The film also loads up with some big name actors, mostly used in roles that could and should have been expanded, to play various figures in Chaplinās life: Geraldine Chaplin plays Chaplinās mother (her own grandmother) with just the right bit of tragic pathos; Moira Kelly does some rare topless work in a dual role as Charlieās first love Hetty and later as his true love Oona; Anthony Hopkins hangs out as the editor helping Chaplin with his autobiography in the filmās framing device set in 1963; Dan Aykroyd brings the bluster (and an unnecessary shirtless scene) as the legendary Keystone founder Mack Sennett; Marisa Tomei is always a welcome presence as early screen comedienne Mabel Normand; Penelope Ann Miller makes the most of her cut-short screen time as Purviance; Kevin Kline is perfectly cast as Douglas Fairbanks and is quite moving as well, making one wonder why he wasnāt given Supporting Actor consideration; Maria Pitello is suitably bitchy as early Movie Queen Mary Pickford; Milla Jovovich brings the sex as Chaplinās teenage first wife; Kevin Dunn brings his fat slimy act on the road as the infamous J. Edgar Hoover (a man Hollywood will never tire of bashing); Diane Lane brings the perfect touch of old school glamour as Chaplinās third wife and co-star Paulette Goddard; Nancy Travis is imposing as the unstable old girlfriend who later sued Chaplin for paternity of her baby; David Duchovny gets a bigger part than expected as Chaplinās loyal cameraman; and even James Woods shows up as the slimy prosecutor who rips Chaplin during the paternity trial.Ā But in the end, it is all about Downey, capturing the essence of Chaplin in every scene and brilliantly overcoming the obstacles of the script to nonetheless make us feel we know the man, whether it be recreating Chaplinās acrobatic, almost balletic movements when playing the Tramp and other characters, or little moments like when he makes eye contact with the baby that he denies is his at the trial and canāt help but give her a friendly little wave, Downey not picking up the Oscar is widely thought of as highway robbery today, and shows him as possibly being the most brilliant actor currently working in the 21st century, whose due will most certainly come sooner rather than later.Ā Overall, a must both for fans of the legend it portrays and the legend in the making who starsā¦
9/10