Charlie Chaplin (Robert Downey, Jr) had an amazing life. He was a genius for the advancement of films and a brilliant comedian, but he also loved teenage girls and many believed him to be a communist. That's plenty, probably too much for a film and yet, this one covered it all, but doesn't stop to focus on any one moment and suffers for it.
Downey, Jr is excellent but isn't given enough time to shine, though he is in basically every scene and he was perfectly cast in the role despite being American portraying the British Chaplin. This film floats from his early days in Hollywood, to his paternity case in the mid-1940s to him finally receiving the recognition he deserved in 1972. There is no mention of how big of a scandal it was when he (at age 54) married the mere eighteen-year-old Oona O'Neill (Moira Kelly) and their children are glazed over, such a shame.
It does tell a little of his friendship with Douglas Fairbanks (Kevin Kline) but it doesn't mention how they along with America's Sweetheart Mary Pickford (the perfectly cast Maria Pitillo), actually Canadian, created their own studio to have complete control over their projects, how radical. The film also delves in to J. Edgar Hoover's (Kevin Dunn) investigation of him, eventually banning him from the country, Charlie would return only once to receive his award.
I would have liked more of Charlie working on his films and focusing on one part of his life, probably the time period when he faced his paternity suite which was also during the early part of his marriage to Oona, or perhaps the making of one of his famous films, instead of only showing a little part of each, though he was extremely dedicated to his work and was immensely talented.
And though they aged Downey, Jr properly, and with great effort, they don't bother with Oona which is just awkward. Chaplin, brilliant man that was he, deserved far better than this for a film about his remarkable life. Grade: B
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