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The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The Tramp cares for an abandoned child, but events put that relationship in jeopardy. The Kid holds quite well for such an old film but it's definitely not one of Chaplin's best films since it has it's fair share of storytelling problems which don't really affect the movie completely except a small part of it. The acting was good and the story was sentimental for sure but it could have also been much much better as a whole but it still still a nice touch seeing a different side of Charlie Chaplin and raising a kid but also the problems that that responsibility has. (7/10)

What a wonderful story by Charlie Chaplin.In it, a poor, young mother gives up her newborn in a car in front of a mansion. Through a series of unlikely events, the young child ends up in the care of the Tramp. After a few funny attempts to rid himself of the child, he finally accepts his role as caretaker, naming his adopted son John.A few years pass, and the two make a wonderful duo - scheming and scamming people together in hilarious ways. But things take an unexpected turn for the worse when John becomes ill.I can't speak of this film highly enough. The performances of all the actors involved are wonderful. A young Jackie Coogan plays John and does so brilliantly, I can not name a finer child actor. Most child actors are sub-par, if not whiny and annoying. This film will make you laugh, cry and most importantly, think.

I will begin this review by giving a brief plot summary so you, the reader, have an impression of the goings on in the film if you haven't yet seen it. The film begins with a mother and her infant child. Very early on in the film the mother decides that she simply cannot care for the child, so she abandons it in the rear seat of an unoccupied car. The unoccupied car then because the partially unoccupied car and is subsequently stolen by car thieves. The thieves eventually take notice of the small child in the back seat and, in turn, they abandon it themselves in an alleyway. In this alley is where the iconic figure of Charlie Chaplin's Tramp character is presented and he eventually finds that he will have to be the one to care for the infant. Time lapses five years into the future and we find Chaplin and the child, which can now more accurately be referred to as a "kid", living together in a raggedy one bedroomed apartment. Chaplin's tramp is clearly presented as a surrogate father figure for the kid, and the two of them appear to coexist in a relationship that is both playful and loving. The rest of the movie unfolds after the stage is set as I just did for you. It is mostly instances of how the two paupers have to swindle there way into sources of income, and the misadventures that come along with it. The film was released in the year 1921. Releasing a film in this time period could be considered overly restricting by some individuals, considering that "talkies" had yet to be a staple of the medium. However, Chaplin absolutely encapsulates the melodrama of the story and expertly enables the story to be told through movement and design, rather than through dialogue. Chaplin's tramp character is the iconic image of Charlie Chaplin that everybody knows even if they have never seen one of his movies. Every aspect of the character from his attire (bowler hat, cane, small waist coat, large trousers and shoes) to his over exaggerated gestures make for an expressive performance that is both memorable and inevitably iconic. It is worth noting the charismatic performance of the kid as well. He is an excited young man that is clearly enjoying himself in the filmmaking process, and his relationship with Chaplin is quite endearing. The Kid is an exciting display of creativity that translates into iconic film. A scene that stands out is one in which Chaplin's tramp character is being chased along rooftops by a police officer, and another would be a dream sequence where characters throughout the streets have angel wings that can be purchased at a corner store. It is worth noting the impression that this film must have made upon audiences when it was first released. Even in modern times it comes across and a piece of utterly unique cinema, which is a testament to the acting and filmmaking genius that Charlie Chaplin had. I cannot recommend this movie enough to anyone that is interested in the history and progression of filmmaking as an art, or anyone that wants to lose themselves in a charming story about a man and his kid.

"The Kid" released in 1921 is the story of a tramp (played by Charlie Chaplin) that comes into caring for an orphaned child. The movie made me feel so many things! I felt happy for both the kid and the tramp in that they found each other and were able to formulate a life together. I enjoyed seeing their relationship progress and develop. I couldn't help but think about the kid's mother and feel sad for her, though I enjoyed seeing the tramp come into his own through taking care of the kid. The film was written by Charlie Chaplin, and I enjoyed seeing how Charlie as a writer developed the relationship and love and care between the kid and the tramp. I thought he did a great job in that regard, however, for me it bothers me when there are loose ends in stories and the mother's role and absence in the story really bothered me.Charlie Chaplin also directed the film, and I felt that he did a great job with both the performances of the actors and with the rhythm of the scenes. Jackie Coogan in particular did a wonderful job. His ability to play such a range of emotion – from being a loving child to the tramp, to "toughening up" when the other kid stole his toys, to all of his hurt and anguish when the men were trying to take him to the orphanage. I enjoyed the pacing of the scene where the kid is making breakfast. There's something that's so great and nuanced seeing how they interact with each other and how something so little can be so funny and enjoyable. Edited as well by Charlie Chaplin, I enjoyed the scene where the kid's toys get stolen from the boy and the shots cut between a wide of the two kids fighting, a medium of the two fighting, and onlookers cheering on the fight. I enjoyed the way that those shots were cut together in that they paced things out nicely and allowed for a great entrance by the tramp to come in and rescue the kid. In "The Kid", Roland Totheroh does the cinematography. I felt that the quality of the lighting added to the mood of the film in that there was a lot of great contrast. I feel that it's hard to articulate the quality of the lighting with the film done in black and white, but overall each shot seemed to have quite a bit of contrast, which I felt added a lot to the film, particularly in the outdoor scenes. The outdoor scenes were light and airy as opposed to the scenes in the tramp's home that felt a little darker and moodier, but still felt very homey and comforting. All in all, I enjoyed the film. As expressed previously, the only part for me that was particularly jarring was the storyline of the kid's mom. I would have liked to see that aspect of the story come a little more full circle.