This film is beautiful and intelligent, if a little ambitious and overlong (2 and a quarter hours). But it is so worth seeing, for the superb Oscar-nominated performance from Robert Downey Junior. The film starts off flawlessly, with beautiful incidental music from John Barry, and a fantastic performance from Geraldine Chaplin, who played her own grandmother.
We also see Fred Karno, robustly played by John Thaw, and Hetty , played by Moira Kelly(who did struggle with the accent). A standout from the supporting cast, was a lively performance from Kevin Kline, who brought some great energy into the role of Douglas Fairbanks. The performances in general are very good indeed, and the film looks ravishing with show stopping costumes and scenery.
However, it is after the death of Fairbanks, that the film starts to drag, and the title characters rapidly turn into a series of vignettes. As much a great actor Anthony Hopkins is, his turn as the fictional autobiographer was perhaps unnecessary. And I was a bit confused why they turned Hoover as a villain who wanted Chaplin out of the country. The ending is poignant, and Moira Kelly does better in her role as Oona.
The end credits were very educational, and the arrangement of Smile was one of my highlights of this beautifully made but ambitious film. Worth watching for those who are a fan of Richard Attenborough (the director) 8/10 Bethany cox
