AllMovie

The Funniest Man in the World is a dishearteningly unfunny documentary about Charlie Chaplin. The narration is banal, the clips chosen are blasé, and the pace of the whole affair is ruined by the decision to "stretch-frame" the silent footage, slowing the fleet-footed Chaplin down to a crawl. Worse, there is the tendency to over-explain and analyze sight gags that are easily graspable to a five-year-old. The only remotely fascinating clips in the film are those of Chaplin imitator Billy West, who plied his trade in the company of comic villain Oliver Hardy in the years 1917-1919. Skip this one, and hold out for a showing of an uncut Chaplin feature on Turner Classic Movies.