Overview
A timeless tale of resilience and humor in the face of modernity's absurdities.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- frantic
- sincere
- classic cinema night
- social satire double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a masterful, hilarious, and politically incisive fusion of slapstick comedy with a critique of industrialized society.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Tramp is consumed by the factory production line, repetitive bolt-tightening, and an automated feeding-machine experiment.
Despite sound effects and limited speech, Chaplin builds the film around pantomime, physical choreography, and expressive images.
The production machinery and automatic feeding device repeatedly generate escalating physical complications for the factory worker.
The Tramp's comic breakdowns and arrests are paired with unemployment, institutional confinement, and the gamin's precarious life.
Films like Modern Times, and why
The Great Dictator
shares physical comedy, social critique, and a sympathetic outsider resisting dehumanizing institutions
City Lights
shares silent-era slapstick, romantic tenderness, and pathos centered on economically marginalized characters
Safety Last!
shares industrial-age satire, visual invention, and comic conflict between ordinary people and modern systems
Movie Details
- Director
- Charlie Chaplin
- Release Date
- 1936-02-05
- Runtime
- 87 min
- Rating
- 8.3 / 10 (4208)
Cast
- Charlie Chaplin
- Paulette Goddard
- Henry Bergman
- Tiny Sandford
- Chester Conklin
- Hank Mann
- Stanley Blystone
- Al Ernest Garcia
- Richard Alexander
- Cecil Reynolds
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Criterion Channel, TCM, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Modern Times about?
- Charlie Chaplin’s nimble Tramp battles factory automation, social institutions, and hard times while seeking a little dignity and companionship.
- What is Modern Times like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Modern Times as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Modern Times violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Modern Times as mild.
- What did critics think of Modern Times?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a masterful, hilarious, and politically incisive fusion of slapstick comedy with a critique of industrialized society.
- Which films are like Modern Times?
- Films with a similar feel include The Great Dictator, City Lights, and Safety Last!.
- How long is Modern Times?
- Modern Times runs 87 minutes.
- Where can I watch Modern Times?
- In United States, Modern Times streams on Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Criterion Channel, TCM, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
