Modern Times1936
Modern Times (1936)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: A slapstick skewering of industrialized America, Modern Times is as politically incisive as it is laugh-out-loud hilarious.
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Movie Info
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Cast
as A Worker
as The Gamin
as Cafe Owner
as Mechanic
as Burglar
as Burglar
as Sheriff Couler
as Company Boss
as Foreman
as Woman with Buttoned Bosom
as Worker
as Worker
as Worker
as Convict
as Prison Chaplain
as Chaplain's Wife
as Gamin's Sister
as Worker
as Prison Governor
as Workman
as Convict
as Convict
as J. Widdecombe Billows
as Juvenile Officer
as Sheriff Couler
as Cafe Head Waiter
as Billows' Assistant
as Assembly Worker
as Doctor
as Worker
as Shipbuilder
as Burglar
as President of the Electro Steel Corp.
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Critic Reviews for Modern Times
All Critics (109) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (107) | Rotten (2) | DVD (7)
Several high spots stand out as notable examples of Chaplin's expert timing of slapstick burlesque, scenes that are apt to make the spectator shed tears from the strain of laughter.
There are reminders of every Chaplin picture that was ever made all through Modern Times and there are enough brand new comic inventions to explain why Charlie takes such a long time between pictures and why they are so superlatively worth waiting for.
What most amazes you about Modern Times, is the fact that, in this day of superfine sound films, it says everything without saying anything.
In many ways Modern Times is old-fashioned film comedy, but it is the kind of comedy which has made millions of people laugh all over the world and which has won Mr. Chaplin the great affection and love.
While he has borrowed a few symbolic touches from the Russian picture makers, there is nothing of real significance in Chaplin s work except his earnest desire, and his really great ability, to entertain.
The monotony of this Job "gets" Charlie and he runs wild, attacking everything and everybody in view with his brandished wrenches in one of the funniest scenes ever filmed.
Audience Reviews for Modern Times
Chaplin writes, directs, acts and even wrote the music for this odd feature that has it's own story, yes, but is far more interesting for the underlying tale: that of a man watching time pass him by. He comments on a lot on the newfangled technology and learning to live with it, and how consumption becomes not only what we do but who we are, and that's obvious, but it's his unsaid bits that resonate. His Tramp, wrongly jailed, begs to stay when offered freedom, one of many insights offered in this complex piece that might live on longer than anything else he's famous for.
Super Reviewer
The first twenty minutes are the work of genius, but then the film loses some of its focus and becomes a usual collection of sketches - though most of them hilarious and memorable. And Chaplin's idea of using spoken voices only from mechanical devices is brilliant.
Super Reviewer
A classic, influential movie concerning the legendary "Tramp" character (Charlie Chaplin) and how he struggles to keep up in a modern day world of advances in the work force, which sadly makes going to jail seem like an appealing option. Despite mostly being a farce, this treasure of a film has a ton to say about society, and gives some different, touching looks on a few characters who are doing their best to make it in this world despite being at disadvantages financially and not having a real set of skills. The factory scenes with Chaplin are priceless, but it is the creatively constructed and moving finale that makes this film so special. This is an absolutely timeless comedy featuring one of the most iconic characters in all of film.
Super Reviewer
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