Chaplin (1992)
Average Rating: 5.8/10
Reviews Counted: 47
Fresh: 27 | Rotten: 20
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 3.2/10
Critic Reviews: 11
Fresh: 0 | Rotten: 11
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 24,460
My Rating
Movie Info
Partly based on Charlie Chaplin's My Autobiography, this humorous and dramatic biopic features an all-star cast including Oscar nominee Robert Downey Jr., Dan Aykroyd, Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Kline, Diane Lane, and Chaplin's real-life daughter, Geraldine Chaplin, who portrays his mentally ill mother. With the use of flashback, an elderly Chaplin discusses his autobiography with his editor (Hopkins), who urges him to be more vulnerable and emotionally honest with his memoirs while journeying
Dec 18, 1992 Wide
Jul 25, 2000
Columbia TriStar
Watch It Now
Cast
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Robert Downey Jr.
Charlie Chaplin -
Dan Aykroyd
Mack Sennett -
Geraldine Chaplin
Hannah Chaplin -
Kevin Dunn
J. Edgar Hoover -
Anthony Hopkins
George Hayden -
Moira Kelly
Hetty Kelly/Oona O'Neil... -
Milla Jovovich
Mildred Harris -
Kevin Kline
Douglas Fairbanks -
Diane Lane
Paulette Goddard -
Penelope Ann Miller
Edna Purviance -
Paul Rhys
Sydney Chaplin -
John Thaw
Fred Karno -
Marisa Tomei
Mabel Normand -
Nancy Travis
Joan Barry -
James Woods
Lawyer Scott -
Michael Blevins
David Raskin -
Francesca Buller
Minnie Chaplin -
Peter Crook
Frank Hooper -
David Duchovny
Rollie Totheroh -
Donnie Kehr
Sound Engineer -
Karen Lewis
Yankee Doodle Dancer -
Deborah Moore
Lita Grey -
Sean O'Bryan
Lewis Seeley -
Bill Paterson
Stage Manager -
Maria Pitillo
Mary Pickford -
Gerald Sim
Doctor -
John Standing
Chaplin Butler -
Robert Stephens
Ted the Drunk -
Norbert Weisser
German Diplomat -
Robert Michael Adler
Party Guest -
Iris Bath
Party Guest -
Andre Bernard
Yankee Doodle Dancer -
Una Brandon-Jones
Inmate -
Phil Brown
Projectionist -
Michael Cade
Sydney Chaplin Jr. -
Alan Charof
Federal Marshall -
Joy Claussen
Dinner Guest -
Nicky Corello
Masseur -
Dana Craig
Federal Marshal -
Nick Edmett
Working Man -
Donald Elson
Prop Man -
David Finch
Working Man -
Vicki Frederick
Party Guest -
David Gant
London Maitre d' -
Michael A. Goorjian
Adult Charles Chaplin J... -
Caroline Guthrie
Courting Couple -
Charles Howerton
Dinner Guest -
William Hunt
US Maitre D' -
Jerry Jenson
Hotel Porter -
Jayson Kane
Reporter -
Howard Lew Lewis
Workhouse Official -
Brian Lipson
Warder -
Jason Logan
Dinner Guest -
Mark Long
Working Man -
Raymond Lynch
Bride's Father -
Ken Magee
Federal Marshal -
Heather McNair
Marion Davies -
P.H. Moriarty
Workhouse Official -
John Otrin
Reporter -
Bradley Pierce
Sydney Chaplin Jr.--Age... -
Stuart Richman
Barman -
Jack Ritschel
William Randolph Hearst -
Malcolm Terris
Stallholder -
Ralph Votrian
Reporter -
Richard James
Pianist -
Tom Wright
Working Man -
Laura Bastianelli
Dinner Guest -
Todd Mason Covert
Reporter -
Mary Healey
Mrs. Karno -
Emma Lewis
Production Assistant -
J. Michael Patterson
Reporter -
Tom Preston
Party Guest -
Renata Scott
Dinner Guest -
Dennis Vero
Wedding Guest -
Annie Waterman
Party Guest -
-
-
-
-
Ann Fairlie
Wedding Guest -
Alan Ford
Warder -
Peter Georges
Groom -
-
Bryan Coleman
Drunk -
Michael Miller
Reporter -
Robert Peters
'Great Dictator' cinema...
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Chaplin Trailer & Photos
All Critics (48) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (31) | Rotten (20) | DVD (13)
With this reverential biopic, director Richard Attenborough has cranked out a many-reel, talky talkie.
A lot of loving care (but not much thought) went into this white elephant, and considering how fascinating a figure Chaplin is it's never exactly boring, but your time would be much better spent looking at any of Chaplin's pictures.
Attenborough's very traditional biopic is a disappointment.
Top CriticIt's slick packaging around what is mostly warm air.
The thrill of the ending, with real Chaplin film clips, only exposes the rest as a soporific.
It's easy to pick out the single major flaw of Chaplin. The narrative is too ambitious.
Might be of interest to fans of the great comic, but as entertainment it ultimately fails.
Robert Downey Jr. gives a strong, Oscar-nominated performance, but Attenborough's disappointingly formulaic biopic doesn't capture Chaplin's genius as artist or his complex life
Bio of comic legend falls short of greatness.
It's a loving and often endearing homage to a man, but as with all things Hollywood, it ain't history
Attenborough's attempted encapsulation of his celebrated subject...has flashes of familiar genius.
The movie was clearly made with a lot of love, and it has one deciding factor that sells it: Robert Downey Jr.
A sadly unenlightening attempt to profile the king of clowns.
For all the movie's undisputed competence, grand and inspired moments are thin on the ground.
Robert Downey Jr., does an impressive job as the title character, perfectly recreating Chaplin's range of English accents and mimicking, with astonishing precision, the gait and gestures of the Little Tramp.
Robert Downey enhales Chaplin's Autobiography and wears the Little Tramp's persona effectively
Audience Reviews for Chaplin
Super Reviewer
Taken a from a point of narration by Chaplin during an interview with a fictional character played by Hopkins the film simply takes you through Chaplin's life from one event to another although with many gaps. I'm not completely up with the life of Charlie but I have read that the film does take artistic license with the truth and of course skips allot of history. This really can't be faulted as my personal view from someone who knows very little about his life is 'does that matter?'
The film shows much of his upbringing from the dirty streets of Victorian London to his first jobs in the US, his breaking through into the business, becoming rich and world famous and his problems upon returning to the UK after the the first World War. Most of his big films are also covered in the bio and show just how much swing he had during his reign, the issue he had with controversial ideas and how his close friendships with top stars of the time like Doug Fairbanks helped him.
The film looks excellent in every sense and every scene but clearly the main attraction is Downey Jr and his portrayal of Chaplin. Not only does he genuinely look like Charlie but he manages to mimic the moves, walk, facial expressions and even the comedic slapstick Charlie amazed us with in his movies. To watch Downey making the classic films within the main film you would actually think Chaplin was still alive today starring in his own bio, amazing work to get it right.
Other cast members all add to the superb film both in their looks and portrayals, an amazing line up of known stars from both the US and the UK ranging from Dan Aykroyd to Diane Lane to John Thaw to Milla Jovovich. Kevin Kline is probably one of the better casting choices as he really does seem to belong in that kind of era, born at the wrong time methinks hehe and his lovely showcase as Fairbanks shows this.
As with any film of this nature some sequences are maybe over the top and heavy handed to create that teary eyed emotion but I guess that is to be expected and required to a degree. Never the less a worthy film from Attenborough that has been forgotten and easily sits in the top twenty of all time bio pics.
Super Reviewer
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- Charlie Chaplin: The tramp can't talk. The minute he talks, he's dead.
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- Charlie Chaplin: If you want to understand me, watch my movies.
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- Charlie Chaplin: As you've already said, Mr. Hoover, movies are for the people. Most people work for a living and don't make very much. It pleases them to see officials and the upper class kicked on the backside.
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- Sydney Chaplin: You don't have to be great. Just shut up and be funny.
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