ONE A.M. is a good vehicle for Chaplin because it shows off his skills as a comedian arguably more than a lot of his other work. That’s not to say that it’s better or even funnier than his other works. However, whenever I think of Chaplin, I don’t usually think of his actual comedy skills as being as great as the other big comedians like Lloyd or Keaton. As the years went on, he placed more and more emphasis on the story and character motivations, and that’s not a bad thing. At the same time, though, it did feel like he was sacrificing a lot of comedy in order to make those moments work, while Keaton and Lloyd tended to find a good balance so their stories could be followed while also staying consistently funny throughout. Obviously, the focus was more on comedy at Keystone, but...well, it’s Keystone. While they definitely had great stunt work, their comedy could get pretty repetitive.
The point I’m trying to make is that ONE A.M. stands out so much because Chaplin’s comedy is in the forefront. In fact, it’s pretty much the only thing in the film with the exception of Albert Austin’s role at the beginning. Speaking of Austin, I absolutely love how he just keeps sitting there with his hand out while paying absolutely no attention to Chaplin’s struggle behind him. The rest of it is basically Chaplin drunkenly stumbling around his house. Normally, I’m not really a fan of comedies that revolve around drunks. They can have funny moments, but they can also get really tedious as well. Heck, some of Chaplin’s Keystone comedies are guilty of this (THE ROUNDERS being an example). However, ONE A.M. works for two reasons: the first is because it is just Chaplin by himself. He’s not ruining anyone’s day; he’s simply just trying to get to bed.
The other reason ONE A.M. works is because of Chaplin’s movement style. One of the most distinct things about Chaplin is the way he moves. It was very exaggerated compared to other comedians, almost like a cartoon character. Having him be drunk actually gives him an opportunity to play around more with his movements. The way he tries to walk up the stairs is just so outlandish that I can’t help but laugh, and of course there’s an even bigger payoff when he falls down, again in an exaggerated way. I especially love whenever he gets hit by the clock pendulum; that was definitely very well executed. I also really like when he keeps missing the glass when he tries to fill his drink. It’s a small moment, but the fast pace of it with Chaplin’s reactions makes it another stand out scene. The wall in the bedroom gags are great as well. Like the stairs gags, they’re milked a lot, but also like the stairs gags, there is a lot of variation in the various, distinct ways Chaplin can fall out of the bed, which is surprisingly more than I would have thought.
A great short overall, and probably a good one to show someone if you want to emphasize Chaplin’s comedy skills.
10 out of 10
