The Comic (1969)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Carl Reiner
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Sony Movie Channel)

Dick Van Dyke narrates his life as a Chaplin-esque silent comedian. In the early days, he becomes a Hollywood star and marries his leading lady. The film's best moments are recreations of his silent comedies, complete with title cards and scratchy black-and-white photography. He begins having affairs which leads to his personal downfall, and can't adapt to talkies which leads to his professional one. He drinks, becomes unemployed and ends up a lonely old man watching his own films on TV alone in a sparsely furnished house. Mickey Rooney is his best friend Cockeye who never abandons him. The depressing last half hour or so is not much fun to watch , but it is still a must see for film buffs, in particular silent film fans.