Sunnyside

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Nick M "Sunnyside" is another narrative-driven comedy by Chaplin that continues to break from the old form in order to attempt something new. It is wonderful to see him taking risks at this stage in his career--his contract with First National offering more artistic freedom and fewer time constraints than with previous distributors--though this one doesn't have entirely the same flair as some of his brighter work. There are genuine laughs to be had, notably in his breakfast-making decisions, but generally the pathos crowds out the comedy, which is a tad lackluster. An overreliance on slapstick, particularly in the opening scene, brings down the tone of an otherwise fairly novel format. The picture is still miles ahead of most of what Harold Lloyd was putting out at this point, and he has to be admired for working to expand the audience's concept of comedy while other greats like Arbuckle are still largely sticking to variations of the tried and true. The nature of risk is that you can't always knock it out of the park. Incidentally, I was surprised to see that contemporaneous reviews in The New York Times, Variety, and Moving Picture World were all rather critical of the picture. That's not to say that it is undeserving of their critiques, but most reviews I've read of films from the late nineteen teens are puff pieces! Why do the same critics don kid gloves for virtually every other filmmaker out there, but doff them for the chance to reprove Chaplin? The heights are surely paved with daggers, but I wish I had more insight into this puzzling anomaly. Anyway, it's a decent film, and I love seeing Chaplin's character evolving into an increasingly sympathetic one, but most will find his work from 1918 more enjoyable (excluding, perhaps, "The Bond"). Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/18/24 Full Review Audience Member Less than two years before Chaplin's first feature, the classic "The Kid", "Sunnyside", longer than most of his shorts, certainly doesn't benefit from its duration. The beginning is funny enough and there are good (and occasionally unexpected) ideas throughout, but progressively the jokes are spread further apart, while the story's romantic and dramatic aspects lack the sophistication of his later work and are therefore unable to stand on their own two feet. It's still a pleasant movie however. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review sean l Every day's a grind for the hired help, especially when a tyrannical boss is on the prowl. Charlie Chaplin plays the former, doing everything in his power to slack off and inconvenience the customers when the latter isn't literally putting a boot to his ass. Which, suffice to say, isn't often. Chaplin is relentlessly hounded by the owner of this strange little farm / grocery / hotel hybrid, a catch-all oasis in the heart of a tiny rural village. That setting does have potential, and one or two lighthearted moments shine through, but most of the act seems uninspired and regurgitated; a rare instance of quantity-over-quality from the prolific silent movie idol. Frequent costar Edna Purviance is here, as the object of infatuation and jealousy, but the two don't share much spark this time around and the fuzzy resolution to their contested courtship leaves the climax hanging on a sour note. Chaplin would later confess that producing this short, in particular, felt more like work than pleasure. Another example of the star's tumultuous personal life affecting his output: the combination of a contentious contract negotiation and a failing marriage (his first of several) was obviously draining his once-fiery spirit. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member "Sunnyside" has more heart than some other Chaplin shorts, plus a wonderful sequence where a knocked-out Charlie hallucinates a meadow frolic with four comely nymphs. Plenty of good animal jokes, too. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member The opening sequence was very funny. Great story. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Of the short films of Chaplin's that I've seen, this one is definitely my favorite. I'm always amazed at the quality of the comedy that he delivers, even in a sparse 41 minutes. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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