Delayed Reaction: The Kid

The Pitch: If Charlie Chaplin wants to date children so much, maybe he should adopt one too.

The tramp raises an abandoned child.

This is by far the most I've enjoyed a Charlie Chaplin movie. Sure, The Great Dictator is his most relevant movie. Modern Times is probably his most visually impressive film. The Gold Rush has many of his most iconic scenes. The Kid has by far the most heart though.

This is a very simple story. I got a chuckle from a number of sequences, like the tramp's attempts to sneak the baby into the woman's stroller or the fight against the brute. The dreamland sequence was charming, albeit unneeded. The policeman reuniting the tramp and the child at the end is sweet. It's interesting that they didn't try to force in a love story with the boy's mother. I assume the actress probably dated Chaplin at some point, so working that into the movie would've made sense for him. It's better without it though. The movie is so short that it's hard to find much more to say. It's my favorite Chaplin movie and the last I'll see for a while.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend