The Movie Forums Top 100 Comedies Countdown

The Kid isn't as funny as other Chaplin works, but its story is probably the sweetest.

Seen 9/14.

I've seen three Chaplin's by my count, but not The Kid. I don't think he's for me.

I remember really enjoying Clueless as a teenager, though not a generational defining comedy for me. My understanding is for a lot of women my age and slightly younger, it is though. I don't think I've heard men my age (or slightly younger) express the same type of love. I don't know what I'd think of it today.

Ballot: 3
Seen: 12/14

Have seen so far: 8 - Clueless - I'm surprised to see this make the list and this was a good movie for sure.
Have not seen so far: 6

I have not yet seen The Kid

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The Kid

Title Card: A picture with a smile - and perhaps, a tear.

That, kinda says it all.

A smile; very much so. And perhaps, a tear; though on my recent watch I surprisingly did not. I do remember how much I used to bawl as a youngster and for the longest time I couldn't watch this because it was too heartbreaking for me. Even in my twenties, little baby Uncle Fester would affect me every time I saw them trying to haul him away and The Tramp valiantly coming to his aid. Literally, kicking @ss and taking names.

I was and continue to still be enamored with The Kid's antics.
During the window-breaking scenes when he pulls back to throw a rock and bumps a cop, it was like watching a young Tramp. Perhaps it was simply Chaplin's directing, but Jackie Coogan did such a great job of a child acting as his father while still being himself.

Like so many other Chaplin films, this does come from Charlie's heart, and even more so since the harshness of the orphanage and its offices are drawn from his own childhood while his mother was in an asylum.
There are a number of scenes, where we see within Charlie's heart the tormented memories, looking to right the past wrongs and to win, instead of losing to such establishments.

And he does.
And we love him for it.

I grew up with utter adoration for Charlie Chaplin though, very surprisingly for myself, his films did not make my list. Regardless of how much they touch my heart.


Clueless is one of those films I had flat out rejected ever seeing and ponder if perhaps I should remedy that.



Watched: 10 out of 14 (71.42%)
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25. Megamind (2010) One Pointer


One Pointers: 18 out of 42 (40.47%)

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When I watched a bunch of Chaplins last year, The Kid was the only one that left me cold. I guess Chaplin found the kid shuffling around in baggy pants a lot funnier and more endearing than I did.


I also watched Clueless for the first time last year. Very funny, but not a favourite.

On the subject of Chaplin, now I'm eager to see which movie wins the Chaplin race: Modern Times, The Great Dictator or City Limits. My prediction is the later, but I'm in the middle of Modern Times, and I'm loving it.

Btw, I got The Great DIctator on YT months back, and I'm watching Modern Times after The Kid, both of which are on YT, for anyone who's interested. City Lights seems absent, though.

Not seen the Kid. Remember watching Clueless and absolutely hating it but I was quite young. Maybe I should give it another go

Perhaps Chaplin is even the director that comes out on top here.

Either him or Terry Gilliam.

I like both of these, though not well enough to put them on my list. With The Kid appearing here I have to imagine we’re in for two or three more Chaplins to come. Which is probably as it should be. Clueless isn’t a favorite but it is strongly representative of ’90s teen comedies so it makes sense to see it here.

The countdown really shows the decline of the western civilization...

(Yes, all Chaplin stories are deep dramas, that's clear. At the same time, all his silent one dramas are presented by the king of comedy in a highly comic manner. That's why they usually belong to comedy field.)

So...

The Kid to be #88 in an all time all genres top 100 can be acceptable...but...

...kind of a catastrophe we have here...
One of the most iconic movies in history of cinema, created by the king of comedy, being outside top 50 in its main field, mentioned only in 5 ballots?!?!... moreover in a company of some third class cheap release, directed by nobody, featuring acting by nobody... and God knows what's coming further.
...what a humiliation...

I doubt that it gonna be easy for me to continue following this thread...

Maestro, please, forgive us! We're just living on land ruled by cluelessness.

This will cheer you up...

my mini-review of The Kid from the Pre-1930s HoF

The Kid (1921)

This might be my favorite Chaplin film so far. Two aspects of Chaplin the director/writer stands out:

1) He takes a bold social stand by clearly stating the unwed mother's only sin is that of motherhood. We then see her leaving the building where she had the baby and two rather stern people are shaking there heads in disapproval. For 1921 that was bold of Chaplin to champion the unwed mother in his film.

2) Chaplin allows the child actor to shine in the film, giving the kid many a close up. Another actor/director might have been unwilling to let the kid have any of the limelight. But Chaplin seems to not have an ego about his own stardom and so we get equal time with little Jackie Coogan.

The more I know of Charlie Chaplin, the more I think he was a pretty cool dude and way ahead of his time.

Thanks for the respond!
Sorry if I was not clear.
With "A real decline of the western civilization indeed..." I meant the countdown situation not the themes in the movie.
Thus I refer the nowadays lack of cultural education.

Yes, I knew what you meant. Though I've been happy with the countdown's movie positions. I do hope for more Chaplin films and higher up too.

Mel Brooks or Woody Allen may get in.

I think we're gonna see at least two more Chaplins on here and people are probably loath to have more than 2 or 3 by the same filmmaker on their ballot so I, personally, am comfortable with where The Kid has landed.

The Kid is my favorite Chaplin; I totally love it, but then again, I'm more moved by its drama and emotion than by its comedy, so even though I had it on my short list, I cut it out because of that.

Clueless is a film I remember seeing in theaters and just not getting it. I haven't revisited it afterwards, but I always tend to see it mentioned among greatest comedies, greatest romcoms, etc. so I've been meaning to get back to it now to see if it fares better with me after *checks calendar* 27 years.

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Predictions for tomorrow:
1. Ballad of the Little Soldier (1984)
2. Martha, Marcy, May, Marlene (2011)

I struggled with my decision not to include any Chaplin's on my list. He could have conceivably had two or three on it, but I pushed them off because I chose to take my top 25 in a different direction. But...The Kid was not in contention. Nothing wrong with it. It has its place. And its historical import can't be ignored. But also nothing overly spectacular. It's the weak link of all of Chaplin's full length silents. Definitely at the bottom for me.


Clueless is fine. I think it's good, especially in the fact that it is one of those films that seemed to be marketed as a bit of disposable nothing, for no one but the mall-brained teenagers, but undercuts all of these prejudices by being thoughtful and developing all of its characters and emotions well. But...it's not my thing. It lives in a pop culture universe that deprives me of the kind of oxygen I need. Like the similarly good Legally Blonde, I respect these movies, but I don't need them in my life.


As it stands, there is a lot on this list that I wouldn't even consider for mine, but the only straight out bad film is Home Alone. I think I was 14 when that came out and so I was already not the target demographic. And I'm even less so now. But, fuuuuuuuck, I rewatched it recently and it was even worse than I remembered. I'd love someone to point me in the direction of whatever charm that movie has. Because for me it just caters to the worst kind of bad comedy reflexes. Probably because it was under the thumb of the magnificently untalented Chris Columbus, likely one of the biggest frauds to have ever made it in the movies. Just unbearable stuff.

We haven't seen a '70s film show up yet, way overdue so:



The Hot Rock
Silver Streak