This review will be hard for me. Not because I did not like this movie (I did… a lot), but because I really do not have any idea what I could possibly say about this movie that has not already been said a hundred times by people who are much more well-versed in cinematic and literary history.
Modern Times is a wonderful satire of American life during the Great Depression written, directed, produced and starring Charlie Chaplin as The Tramp and his partner Paulette Goddard playing his opposite as The Gamin.
The film begins with our Tramp slogging away in a factory with output so fast he does not even have time to shoo away the fly landing right on his forehead without falling behind. He works so hard, his brain scrambles and he cannot physically stop tightening bolts even on his break (but don’t worry, he still remembers to clock out and clock back in during his complete psychotic breakdown).
Our Gamin lives in poverty with two younger sisters and an unemployed father. She runs her hustles to steal fish and other foods to survive. Eventually, her father is shot in the street and her sisters are shuffled away into care of the State. However, she is too old for foster care and has to rough out a life that inevitably leads to a cycle of poverty, theft, and incarceration (even when our loveable Tramp takes the heat for her to try to get her out of trouble which begins our on-screen romantic entanglement that lasts the rest of the film).
Modern Times is absolutely delightful. It combines slapstick and biting satire of culture, capitalism, and class that is still salient to this day. While the Tramp is the clown to laugh at, the film also takes time to show his true talents. He is not just a fumbling incompetent oaf, he is a thoughtful and caring person with talents of his own that surpass anyone else in the film. The Gamin is a thief from the minute you meet her, but she only steals for survival. The film never lets you lose sight of that. The audience roots for our leads all times. They are gentle and charismatic. They smile and laugh. They dance and skate. There is a grace they exude even in their poverty that is truly a celebration of the human spirit.
I could go on and on about every little scene in this movie, but I do not want to do that. It is pure comedy that needs to be watched. If you feel you can only handle (mostly) silent bits in 10-20 minute runs at a time, that is totally fine. Split it up and watch few bits at a time. Hop on YouTube and rewatch a scene or two. It is all gold.
This movie is a 10. There is a bit in this movie for everyone. Everyone can find something they like about it. This one deserves every bit of acclaim it has received over the past 87 years. Highly recommend.
-Andrew
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