Like many of the silent movies he appeared in during the Silent Era of Hollywood filmmaking, Charlie Chaplin reprises his role as the iconic Tramp character, here depicted in his default state of being financially unprosperous and down on his luck. While other films featuring this character primarily had The Tramp interacting with other characters who were in an entirely opposite socioeconomic classic, A Dog's Life pairs The Tramp up with a fellow of an equally despondent nature, an abandoned puppy by the name of Scraps that The Tramp saves from being torn apart in a street fight.
The Tramp and Scraps become fast friends and a number of comedic adventures ensue (including The Tramp trying to eat as much as he can from a food cart when the owner of said food cart isn't looking) as the two just try to make it through an average day. The stakes get raised when The Tramp's infatuation with a lady working at a club called The Green Lantern (no, not the superhero you dweebs!) ends up having him cross paths with some violent pickpockets. If these thieves think The Tramp is just gonna roll over when confronting them, well, they're barking up the wrong tree, as The Tramp and Scraps aren't the kind of individuals who are willing to give up easy even when a task seems daunting.
What follows in the plot makes for an incredibly entertaining 34 minutes of entertainment, one that turns out to be the result of a number of small but brilliant decisions. The first of these decisions, the one that turns out to be the most important, is this: the dog playing Scraps is absolutely adorable. This canine's cuteness makes him as magnetic as any charismatic actor out there, you just can't look away when he's on-screen. Getting a cute dog is a great movie for any movie, but particularly for A Dog's Life, so much of the plot is revolving around this canine that it's great that such a perfect pupper was chosen.
That doggo turns out to be the centerpiece for many comedic set pieces that also show off the numerous skills Charlie Chaplin had as a physical comedic. There's this great scene where The Tramp is taking a brownie-like confection that's on a platter in this food cart, but he's only taking one piece of this treat at a time. Watching him take one slice at a time, always keeping his distance whenever the owner of the food cart looks towards him, until the whole platter is gone in the span of a single shot feels like the kind of gag that would serve as a precursor for something as brilliantly hilarious like the rake gag on The Simpsons in that it demonstrates how well-handled repetition can be a recipe for comedic brilliance.
A penchant for well-handled comedic repetition crops up frequently in A Dog's Life, most noticeably in The Tramp's early attempt to evade some law enforcement officers by running in and out of the small abandoned lot he calls home. These kinds of gags, despite what they may sound like in concept, don't end up becoming an example of beating a dead horse but rather show a meticulous attention to detail that realizes just how far you can push a gag without either diluting its quality or leaving potential yuks on the table. All of that thoughtfulness helps make A Dog's Life a super funny feature, though the simple things like the mere sight of Charlie Chaplin trying to dance while he carries a dog in his pants also show how simplicity can also be king in the realm of top-caliber comedy.
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