FilmSnobReviews

Title: The Real Charlie Chaplin
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Director: Peter Middleton, James Spinney
Starring: Pearl Mackie, Charlie Chaplin
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins

What It Is: This documentary tells the story of the silent era’s biggest and greatest star. Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin born in England in 1889. A man who would forever change. the history of his art. The cinema. Showtime presents an intimate look at his life, his struggles, his wins, and his losses. All wrapped in a very uncensored look at a man that maybe we didn’t know as well as we had initially thought.

What We Think: This doc doesn’t really pull punches. It presents facts as they are. Chaplin is and was romantically complicated. It touches on that. It also does a fantastic job of going into depth on the tramp character and how it fed into the culture of its time. I am one that appreciates straight shooting. This film brings that in spade. Giving us hard truths. For someone like myself who is a big Chaplin fan, it gave me a better understanding, whether I wanted to or not. It’s a well a slow piece and one that sags a bit. Mackie’s narration is good but she’s not really doing anything dynamic enough with her voice. This can lead to the film feeling longer than it is.

Our Grade: C+, A worthwhile watch for those that are fans of Chaplin. It’ll probably change some of your opinions on him as we get to know the man behind the tramp. It’s a man many of us probably aren’t going to like very much. At the end of the day, he was a family man. A man that made as many mistakes as he did game-changing pieces of art. This one is available via Showtime and I thank them for sending me a screener. Check it out. Even if it’s very much a fancy montage with top-level narration. It’s on Showtime…so if that interests you then check it out.