A very entertaining and well-made comedy. The story is pretty simple with The Tramp (Charlie Chaplin) this time taking a stage hand job at a circus where he unwittingly becomes the star of the show with his antics. The best moments of the film are the expertly choreographed comic routines. The climactic tightrope walk is a bit of a letdown next to the earlier, funnier bits (like the opening funhouse chase), but that is a small detraction. The unrequited love story adds some much needed depth to the film, giving it that bittersweet quality that any good comedy needs to be effective. Chaplin here gives us just a peek at that serious side of The Tramp that we would see more of in his last two films. Beautiful ending.