A King in New York

Far from Chaplin's best, it's much too inconsistent, but the spark is still there in both the writing and performance. When it hits it's brilliant satire and very funny, when it misses it's a bit dull. A fair exchange, all things considered.

It's obvious that Chaplin felt uneasy making a film without the comforts of his old studio and employees. It's not a well crafted film, and sadly, his son Michael is terrible in his performance. There are moments of Chaplin's brilliance, but unfortunately, they are far and few between. What did strike me about the screenplay, was how prophetic Chaplin was about American society and its slow descent into crass banality.

A pleasant comedy, probably best viewed as a satire of American culture rather than an attack on McCarthyism. The best bits revolve around advertising & commercialism, while the more overtly political themes, though appreciated, aren't very inventive.

A very long setup for a very short firehose punchline. Bitterness, however well-earned, and comedy don't necessarily mix well. As usual with Chaplin, though, worth seeing for the ending and a few scattered spots of genius along the way.

I don't want to discredit Chaplin for being too on the nose here, because his anti-McCarthyism is passionate and from personal experience. On the other hand, I felt like I already knew all of this film's moves, so to speak. There's something really heartbreaking about the ten year old naming names, though. Perhaps more so because the film subversively ends on such a tremendously positive note.

A mediocre comedy gives way to a really mediocre half hour version of the speech at the end of The Great Dictator, except targeting McCarthyism & HUAC. I mean, it's a good target, but there's nothing funny or memorable about any of it, and unfortunately Chaplin's son is really bad at delivering stilted speeches about Marxism.

Chaplin's premise is sound: a dethroned king is forced to start a new life in New York, begrudgingly accepting work in advertising. Unfortunately, the film quickly gets hijacked by Chaplin's heavy handed political commentary. It's easy to admire the gall of Chaplin's direct assault: his exile from America understandably made him bitter, and A.K.I.N.Y represents a settling of scores. It's a shame that it wasn't handled nearly as well as his satire on advertising, which was prescient.

For being the last movie both directed by and starring Chaplin, this is a sad last film. It's not horrible, but Chaplin didn't really have the physical comedy in him anymore and his writing is a little lacking in this one.

76.00

75.000

One of the bigger misfires in Chaplin's career; still worth watching, and not without laughs or interest. . . it's just that Chaplin seems to have lost his sense of balance.

Really feels like the political message is the only driving thing here, with the slightly-drawn-out sequences all bowing to it. There are some good moments, but humor based on political events doesn't age well. The characters feel pretty stilted (especially the child) and we're not given a lot of reasons to root for this displaced king.

Movie is mostly a parody of political regime in USA, and the political "correctness" which display Chaplin as a communist....

Post-limelight trying to do comedy. It works, but only just. Too much social commentary about communism that he gave to his son to do. Boy did that kill his [son's] acting career

An ironically atom-bomb-themed bomb of a film. I recommend that Chaplin fans not watch this. It puts a spot on one's regard for the great master.