Stealing Chaplin
Dystopian FilmsHolding the body of Charlie Chaplin ransom, two brothers in over their heads are the core focus of this feature from Paul Tanter. Stealing Chaplin sets out to display two brothers, Cal (Simon Phillips) and Terry (Doug Phillips), who do just that. They steal the body of Charlie Chaplin. Rather straightforward, but in practice, it proves rather difficult, not just for the brothers but for the director as well. How can an audience be expected to care for characters who are seen as uncharismatic conmen at the best of times, and layabout losers with money troubles and gangster woes at worst? Likeability is the key, but Tanter just doesn’t have that for this duo.
The chemistry between the leading pair is convincing, but that may be because they are related to one another, rather than any quality found within the script. Chemistry through nepotism is far better than none at all, though. Their dialogue between one another is flimsy. Most of the script is. Jokes and gags that fail to conjure much hilarity are implemented at the behest of actual story and growth. These brothers are not convincing, nor are they interesting. Death and their surrounding predicament as failing conmen are played up for comedy, naturally, but with such few notable moments, it’s hard to see where Stealing Chaplin comes together. Sacrificing dramatics for static shots and cheap-shot comedy, the simplicity brought about by Tanter and the Phillips brothers is predictable and uninteresting. They quibble and squabble like all brothers do, but the comedy is, apparently, found within their disagreements.
Still, the inevitably dull misunderstandings and how little laughter they provide are nothing compared to how underwhelming the supporting performers are. Simon Phillips plays an irresistible man, somehow, and as he picks up waitresses while discussing cold beans, the level of connection Stealing Chaplin has to Charlie Chaplin is almost irrelevant. Tanter is too fixated on trying to make these characters likeable, creative or funny, and fails on all three fronts. Shot-reverse-shot horror shows are frequent, and the neon-lit diner that sets up these characters for their comedic capers highlights many of the issues that crop up later on. Odd blips with the quality of character, the changes in tone and style are thick and fast, never making sense in the relative circumstances of these characters. It is difficult to believe they would do anything beyond a light con, yet Stealing Chaplin works hard to convince audiences otherwise.
Stealing Chaplin likely comes from a place of love and appreciation for the great comedian’s work, but it never replicates the incredible abilities he had, nor does it at all achieve its aim of comedy. What brief flutters it has with the genre are unlikeable and unpredictable at best. Sudden shots of coffin-robbing cretins finding themselves thinking on the fly and trying to keep up with the hole they’re digging themselves. Stealing Chaplin should be light and likeable, but it comes across as meandering and wasteful. Its performances are not up to scratch, its humour is surplus to requirement and everything beyond that is wasteful. Struggling to connect with characters is one thing, but actively avoiding even the chance for an audience to engage with them is a new low indeed.