Attenborough does throw in some allusions to the inspirations for specific routines that found their way into his films — the ballet with the globe in "The Great Dictator," the dance of the rolls in "The Gold Rush" and even the walk adopted for his Little Tramp character. However, his legendary perfectionism and endless rehearsals are absent, his workaholism being represented strictly by his work in the editing room. And his contributions to the art of film are overlooked completely. Not to mention the keen competition he felt with his contemporaries — Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton and his old English music hall comrade, Stan Laurel.

Instead, the film concentrates on the downside of his personal life, the tragedy of the man behind the pancake makeup and tiny mustache. And that, unfortunately, puts "Chaplin" in the same class as dozens of other cheesy film biographies, trying to cover too much ground and ultimately revealing far too little. (The many star cameos are also an unwieldy distraction since most are given little to do.)

Still, there is Downey, whose remarkable talent has only been hinted at heretofore. If this performance doesn't put him at the top of the heap, there is no justice.

And there is one more thing. If this picture prompts any young people to seek out Chaplin's films (glimpsed throughout and in the final sequence), it's more than worth the effort.

"Chaplin" is rated PG-13, which seems a bit tame considering the amount of female nudity and the use of Hollywood's favorite cuss word a couple of times.