The Kid (1921)

Directed by Charlie Chaplin. Starring Charlie Chaplin, Jackie Coogan, Edna Purviance, Tom Wilson, Henry Bergman, Carl Miller, Charles Reisner.

Chaplin’s first starring/directing feature-length effort finds his Tramp character reluctantly taking in a baby abandoned by its mother (Purviance), raising it like his own. Plenty of funny moments, including a priceless bit where the Tramp tries to hand off the discovered infant to various passersby, but Chaplin’s sentimental side overwhelms the material, turning mawkish at times and stunting the pace. There’s even an incongruous fantasy sequence toward the end that does little besides pad out the short running time; more scenes with Chaplin and the kid (Coogan, one of the very first child stars) and their day-to-day lives would have been more entertaining and helped to build up their sweet relationship more so that the tenderness would feel more earned. The only thing standing between the kid’s newborn and mischievous tyke phases is the intertitle that says, “Five years later,” which is a strain to buy, even with its fable-like overtones.

66/100