Limelight
Director: Charles Chaplin
Year Released: 1952
Rating: 2.0
"I'm an old sinner - nothing shocks me," an older Chaplin tells 19-year-old Claire Bloom, who's sick in bed - and we believe him, because film fans should know about the Little Tramp's notorious lifestyle that overcompensated for his impoverished upbringing. But aside from a precious few delightful moments - no Chaplin film would be without them - this is a shallow treatment of aging and failure, made all the worse by Bloom's hideous performance and Chaplin's showboating - the ending is like A Star is Born, and for being a capable screenwriter, his script is littered with contrivances. Charlie's now-famous 'duet' with Buster Keaton - lasting less than ten minutes - is a huge disappointment, playing more like bad Marx. Bros. than a good skit.
