Charley's Aunt

This is an interesting film because you get to see Charlie Chaplin's half-brother, Syd AND he looks like an ordinary person. In the dozen or so other Sydney Chaplin films I've seen, he usually looks rather comical--with greased hair and often a fake mustache and large padded butt. Here, though, you'd swear it wasn't Syd--just some ordinary bloke. This change was not a bad thing, however, as the film is a light comedy that compared reasonably well to other full-length comedies of the day. However, it's important to note that if the viewer is looking for a slapstick or goofy film, this really isn't it. It's much more plot-driven and definitely not slapstick.

The film begins with Syd trying to help his fiancée's father who has a gambling addiction, but the fiancée misunderstands and leaves him. Some time passes and now Syd is in college and gets mixed up in a crazy scheme to imitate Charley's aunt so that they can fool an old guy into proposing! And, at the same time, the old guy is convinced that the "aunt" is a rich Brazilian heiress. So there's lots of gags about Syd in drag and it's all in good fun--but also a bit sedate.

A decent film and a rare chance to see Syd Chaplin in a different sort of role than you might be used to.