User reviews

I hate the celebrity culture. I hate the fact that people become famous, just for the sake of being famous. I hate the fact that just because a celebrity gets married or has a child, that's front page news. I hate reality TV. I hate shows like "Pop Idol" (or "American Idol"), where normal people seem to think they are destined for A-list status. The fact that this film (The King of Comedy) is as old as I am, is either an all too worrying statement on society, or proves that it was way ahead of its time. Maybe that's why I love it so much.

De Niro has always amazed me, but the fact that he seems to understand this character so well is a little overwhelming. Whether he is delivering cringeworthy gags to a cardboard audience, or embarrassing himself, obliviously, in front of Jerry Lewis, his consistency is amazing. His motives are understandable to anyone who's ever had a dream. Perhaps it's De Niro's early ambition as an actor, that fuelled this shamefully overlooked performance.

Jerry Lewis is perfect as the disgruntled TV host. A man who lives a double-life of hilarious TV personality, with a bitter persona off-screen. You can certainly relate to this man's motivations, his love for his work, but his resistance to allow it run his personal life.

The only character I can't totally emphasize with is Sandra Bernhard's Masha (her actions aren't justified as well as De Niro's Rupert). But maybe that just goes with my aforementioned hatred for celebrity culture. The scary thing is, I know that people like this exist, and I didn't for a second, question the feasibility of her performance.

As usual, Scorsese shows brilliant control, despite this being one of his most modest works.

"The King of Comedy" should be looked upon, now more than ever, as a very important film, that has a lot to say about the world we live in and the obsessions that we consume. 9/10

The time when Scorsese took another turn by making a disturbing dark comedy. This film turns the spotlight towards the show business industry by exploring the subjects of fame and celebrity and their influence over individuals and society as a whole. With a nice tone, excellent cinematography, good setting and a thrilling plotline, Scorsese crafted the perfect image of a delusional and obsessive sociopath portrayed by none other than Robert De Niro. I have to say that "The King of Comedy" along side "After Hours" are the most overlooked pictures in Martin Scorsese's catalogue.

Saw it first time late at night and never thought about sleeping again for a couple of days.

DeNiro nails perfectly the unflappable and determined comic wannabe. We watch him throughout the whole film, wondering, Is he really just that sure of himself, or is he dangerously deranged? That question will take you through right to the end. Between Rupert, whose basement (in his mother's house) is decorated like a comedy club, and his oddball chum (S.Bernhard), there's considerable pathos. Jerry Lewis gives a lot of insight into the real person behind his easygoing public persona.

Part of what makes this movie so compelling is Scorsese's decision to keep the musical score to a minimum. Music could force the viewer to a conclusion that isn't entirely accurate. Listening to Rupert's endless exchanges Jerry, and everyone who stands in his way -- as is, without musical coloring -- enhances the "squirm factor."

Anyone who has been in the uncomfortable position of coming to regret being nice to someone will relate to this movie. It's a must-see, and despite being more than 20 years old now, it is not a bit dated.

/r

From Jerry Lewis's subtle, deeply personal performance, to Robert DeNiro's amazing interpretation of a neurotic nerbish whose fantasy world collides with reality on late night talk TV, "The King of Comedy" is a true original that guts the glamour from showbiz and finds it cold and empty inside. Then there's the media, always ready to create another celebrity, even if he's an autograph hound and hack comic turned kidnapper who believes he's earned a shot in the spotlight. Cynical and melancholy, at times hilarious, it bombed when first released, but has been surprising video treasure hunters ever since.

Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro seem to have taken a different road to arrive to very familiar places. Forttunately we're all in for the ride. This is a bitter, dark comedy in the tradition of Pietro Germi and Mario Monicelli. In Scorsese's hands it becomes something we've never seen before. De Niro travels unknown territory with the panache of a seasoned explorer. His Rupert Pupkin is a sub Jay Leno without an agent. His hunger is as shallow as his talent. The arrival to Jerry Lewis's house without an invitation trying to impress his girl is one of the most painful studies in modern humiliation ever put on film. I found myself laughing in horror. "The King of Comedy" is ripe for a revival. Some people consider it a "minor" Scorsese. I disagree. I think it's one of Scorsese and De Niro's best.

'The King Of Comedy' is easily Martin Scorsese's most underrated and misunderstood movie. Scorsese and Robert De Niro's previous collaboration was the brilliant boxing biopic 'Raging Bull', generally regarded by most people as a masterpiece. Then the two made 'The King Of Comedy'... What a brave move! You couldn't find a more different movie, but one just as impressive and extraordinary. This movie is disliked by many, deliberately ignored by others. It's a very uncomfortable film. It's a (very) black comedy and is genuinely funny in places, but much of it is embarrassing to watch. Not because it is inept, but because of the believability of De Niro's obnoxious and irritating "loser" and wanna be comic Rupert Pupkin. De Niro has made a lot of disappointing movies in the last few years but 'The King Of Comedy' reminds you of just how brilliant he can be. I can't think of many actors who would be brave enough to play this part! Jerry Lewis is a performer I have always disliked, but he is excellent in this movie, probably because he is playing someone very close to himself in real life. The rest of the supporting cast aren't the most obvious choices, led by confrontational comedienne Sandra Bernhard and the "forgotten" Charlie's Angel Shelley Hack. Plus there are Tony Randall and a couple of other celebrities playing themselves, and a blink and you'll miss it cameo by The Clash (!). I really admire Scorsese for taking such a risk with this movie, which is one of the most original and provocative ever released by a major Hollywood studio. Bravo! This is must see viewing for not only all Scorsese or De Niro fans, but anyone who appreciates unusual or difficult movies.

This is one of the most memorable films I have ever seen. The first time I saw it in 1983, my dad took me to see it with my older cousin, who laughed hysterically throughout the film, then said afterwards how much he hated it. That was a memorable moment, but the film itself also made a very large impression on me. Despite the title, it is anything but a comedy, save for some amusing moments that could pass for dark comedy.

The story involves a 34 year old nerd (Robert DeNiro) who wants badly to be a standup comedian, but his only method of trying to attain this goal is by essentially stalking a popular talk show host played by Jerry Lewis. The performances are amazing, of course DeNiro can never fail at playing someone offbeat and deranged. Jerry Lewis is very good as the talk show host, and Sandra Bernhard is also well cast as a fellow stalker. The film is a tough watch as its tense and uncomfortable throughout, yet entertaining and intruiging enough so it never crosses the line into unbearable, which I imagine must have been exactly what filmmaker Scorcese was going for. Overall, the film is a combination of disturbing, entertaining, and unforgettable. What's more, it holds up extremely well seventeen years later, although it initially did not do well at the box office. Score: 9/10

I'm a huge fan of De Niro and Scorsese (at least of how they used to be), but I feel I have to inject a note of dissent here. Such that I can pretty much predict that "0 out of 8 people will find the following comment useful" (you ever notice that nobody ever finds it useful when you pan something?) I remember 'King of Comedy' being released. I was twenty. In the crowds I moved in at the time it was pretty much seen as a success: an audacious departure. And in many ways it comes very close to being that. But nearly a quarter century later, 'King of Comedy' seems to lack real satiric power, and despite some great acting from De Niro and Lewis, feels like it's lost its way.

De Niro plays Rupert... well, he complains that his name is often misspelled, so you'll excuse me if I don't try here... a delusional, aspiring but talentless fan of Jerry Lewis's 'comedy king' character. Abbetted by an even more deranged female accomplice Rupert kidnaps Jerry, as his only means of getting his break in showbiz.

Early on the movie has a relatively conventional feel. De Niro is genuinely chilling (as well as embarrassing) as the gormless Rupert. Lewis's stoic grumpiness is perfect, too. It's when you begin to become aware that the film is straying into black comedy and satire that things start to go a bit awry (for this viewer anyway). Of course it's difficult to get away with being critical of such a movie, because it's possible for anybody to argue that any sequence I see as a blunder is actually not meant to be taken seriously. Nevertheless, I don't feel that Sandra Bernhard's hysterical babbling in her scene alone with Jerry Lewis works either as drama OR comedy, and Rupert's comic abilities seem to improve dramatically overnight for no reason at all.

These aren't my major problems with 'King of Comedy' though. I'll admit it's actually quite riveting a lot of the time, and it's certainly nowhere near either Scorsese or De Niro's worst film (frankly, after the terrible 'Gangs of New York', and the 'Aviator', which could have been made by anyone, I wouldn't really mind if Scorsese chucked it in and stuck to 'directing' Larry David in CYE. And let's not even mention that Dreamworks cartoon.. urrrgh!) Err, yes. This review isn't going very well, is it. Maybe I should just stop now, like in a Monty Python sketch.

OK, my main problem is I don't really see what this movie 'getting at', or in what way it's controversial or audacious. It's black humour doesn't seem that black today, and whatever point it's trying to make about celebrity leaves me with a feeling of 'so what?' I'm sure this would have been more powerful and surprising back in 1983, but if you're looking for a black comedy/drama about TV, 'Network' knocks spots off this, and it's about seven years older (and don't tell me that wasn't a comedy-drama. There's nothing in 'King of Comedy' as funny as the black Marxist terrorists arguing with TV execs about syndication rates).

Oh hell, this review was a mess. I know, I know. 0 out of 8 of you are going to find it useful. That's if you even see it, seeing as how for some reason rave reviews get automatically bumped to the top in this weird system.

It's a decent film with good acting, and is certainly worth watching as a curiosity, but whatever it was trying to be, I just think it didn't quite cut it. In its favour, I can't quite think of anything to outright to compare it with, and it's worth seeing for that reason alone.

Another successful collaboration between De Niro and Scorsese. This time they deviated a little from their standards. It doesn't look like a Scorsese movie to me, however that doesn't mean it's a bad movie, and even though De Niro plays a slightly unusual role for him, he did a great job. Jerry Lewis is literally playing himself here. It is obvious why they chose the names of the main roles, Jerry because that is the name of Lewis, and Pupkin because of how it would often be mispronounced. I was a little bothered by the role of Sandra Bernhard, I didn't like it, and I don't think it had any effect on the whole film. From the behavior of the main character Rupert, who is desperately looking for the "right" opportunity for success, I got the impression that the character is a psychopath because his persistence turns into obsession and the boundary between reality and his dreams does not exist. That's why my ending loses on quality because it's left to us viewers to decide what the real reality is.

It's difficult to completely pan "The King of Comedy," but it's also nearly impossible to recommend. This ambivalence derives foremost from its legendary collaborators. De Niro and Scorsese helped to creatively reinvigorate Hollywood in the 1970s with "Mean Streets" and "Raging Bull," and it seems impossible that such an illustrious team could have managed so profound a misstep. And yet despite its talent and its ambition,"The King of Comedy" is nonetheless an artistic failure. De Niro stars as Rupert Pupkin, a manic, unstable New Yorker who fixates on stardom as a comedian as his path toward redemption from obscurity and loneliness. Pupkin has little talent and even less charm, but has an insistent perky patter that he uses to overwhelm others into seeing him as the giant talent he imagines himself to be. Jerry Lewis plays Jerry Langford, a Johnny Carson-like talk show host that Pupkin fixates on as a means of starting his comedy career. Sandra Bernhard plays a psychotic, obsessed Langford fan who has built a vaguely defined friendship with Pupkin over their shared Langford fixation.

The theme of the film is the power of fame and celebrity in American culture and its perverse effects on those who seek it and those who have it. But the story never quite commits to how it wants to present that message. An uncomfortable mix of satire, drama, and joyless comedy undermine the message. In "Network," the sheer vicious scale of the satire succeeds in communicating a similar premise about fame, mass media, and culture. But "King" shuffles along never quite rising to any great height, only succeeding making the viewer uneasy and ambivalent. De Niro does an admirable job portraying Pupkin, but never demonstrates any depth to the character other than a type of monochromatic manic naiveté. Bernhard's performance is loud, obnoxious, and narrow, giving all this signs of being almost entirely improvised. Unfortunately, instead of improvisation giving her character an immediacy and freshness it often is mere shouting and raving within a very narrow compass. Lewis in a very quiet and subtle way gives the strongest performance as Langford, a man trapped by his fame, who in many ways is as lonely as Pupkin, despite his achievement of everything Pupkin longs for.

I don't know about anyone else, but that catchphrase courtesy of Rupert Pupkin is immortal. As for this movie, it is a black comedy masterpiece. As far as Martin Scorsese's movies go, I would personally put Goodfellas, Raging Bull and Taxi Driver over this, but The King of Comedy is in the top 5 of his movies. When it comes to the direction, The King of Comedy is to me one of Scorsese's most strongly directed movies and he also creates a more cruel and bewitching New York here.

The King of Comedy scores highly visually too. New York does look beautiful, while the costumes, locations, sets and cinematography are all very impressive, and the whole film is beautifully edited. The script is sharp, witty, funny yet it also has moments when it is restrained and poignant. The story is always compelling as well, and the soundtrack is wonderful.

As is the acting. Robert DeNiro gives a very powerful performance, it's probably not his most iconic role(Travis from Taxi Driver), but it is his most complex. Jerry Lewis is also magnificent as the chilly old pro chat-show king Jerry Langford. All in all, a fine film, with the direction, writing and acting especially to be admired. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Travis Bickle from "Taxi Driver" and Rupert Pupkin from "The King of Comedy" are not as unlike as they may first appear. They are men desperately searching for some meaning in their spiritually empty lives, neither man connecting with anyone else; the consequent strain has driven each to his own brand of insanity. Both can be likened to Lee Harvey Oswald-men leading lives of quiet desperation, wanting to do something-ANYTHING-to have SOME impact on the world.

Pupkin is further removed from reality than Bickle (actually Bickle's attitudes about his environment aren't entirely unreasonable) and it's unlikely he could ever be "normal", no matter how much therapy he had. He's lost in his own little world, a world devoid of any real substance. To him, Heaven would be a place where he would exist solely on TV. Real life is too messy.

"The King of Comedy" is the best satire I've seen about the vapidness of society's values and the public's obsession with celebrity. It has its share of funny moments but the overall effect is deadening. Even though things went about as well as Pupkin could have expected in the end, what has he gained? Nothing of any value, though in his delusional mind, he probably would disagree. Ah, Pupkin! Ah, humanity!

This is a film that would not be half as effective as it is, if it were not for the unbelievable performance by Robert De Niro. He is, without question the best actor to have graced our screens, and though I love the so many other varied genius performances he has become more famous for, I think this to be his finest work.

The character he plays draws inevitable comparisons with Travis in 'Taxi Driver', as in both roles he plays individuals so detached from reality, they feel the need to commit criminal acts in order to expel the frustrations they have at their lowly position in society, and how little they can do about it. Travis's frustrations are centered more on the decaying state of society and the streets he drives around, whereas Rupert is simply trying to achieve his life-long ambition of fame and fortune that celebrities on television enjoy. But Rupert is such a clever creation by de Niro. He is detached in a very different way to Travis. Whilst Travis is only too aware of what is going on in society, Rupert has his own little view of how the world works. He fantasises being a celebrated comic to such a degree he convinces himself of events that haven't actually happened (most notably when he starts believing his own lie, that he's been invited to Jerry Lewis' summerhouse, is actually true!) It is a magnificently subtle take on the insane and is the De Niro performance I enjoyed the most.

I felt compelled to offer my opinion on De Niro's 10 best roles, so here they are: 10-The Untouchables, 9-Heat, 8-The Godfather Part 2, 7-Midnight Run, 6-Awakenings, 5-Taxi Driver, 4-The Deer Hunter, 3-Raging Bull, 2-Mean Streets, 1-The King Of Comedy

This was definitely a fascinating movie to me in regards to see what lengths some people will go in order to achieve fame, and perhaps to make any dreams that they have come true. Some of which were admirable, whereas others I seriously have to draw the line and would hope others would too. I thought De Niro was excellent as Rupert Pupkin, as this struggling comedian desperate for fame. His character Rupert is friends with a woman named Masha, played by comedienne Sandra Bernhard. I didn't know she was actually acting this far back, but that being said I thought she was really good in this, and kind of creepy to be honest. Truthfully, I found her to be much creepier than Rupert. Rupert wants desperately to appear on The Jerry Langford Show as a guest and Masha is a super-obsessed fan that loves Jerry. It kind of makes sense that they're friends, given their narrow-focused obsessions towards the same person, albeit for different reasons. Jerry Langford is played by none other than the late Jerry Lewis. I'm very young, so I haven't seen any Jerry Lewis movies but I thought he was fantastic in this one. There's also a woman that Rupert is involved with played by Diahnne Abbott who does a fine job as well. I do feel like this movie is well directed by Martin Scorsese, and it looks really good too. I even like the set design of the reception area of Jerry Langford's office. There's another scene where Rupert is standing with his back turned in front of a huge blown-up black-and-white picture of a crowd and the camera pans out while a soundtrack of laughter is playing over the scene that I thought was mesmerizing to look at. I'll say that the themes in this movie are relevant today in a lot of ways, and all the more perhaps with the advent of social media. But it's real easy to see where the movie is going based upon its set-up. And the ending to me does compromise because it doesn't commit to what I thought was going to be the ending. Don't get me wrong. It's a movie and I can live with the ending they chose but at the same time I was like "yeah, right". But it was definitely an interesting character piece by Scorsese for sure.

For some reason, I rarely count any movie in the past 30 years "a classic" but I think of this one as such, and that's a compliment. It has stayed with me since the first time I saw it almost 20 years ago.

In fact, I've never forgotten the name, "Rupert Pupkin," a strange name made famous by Robert De Niro as the leading actor in this unique drama/comedy/ crime film. De Niro was just outstanding, one of his best efforts in an illustrious career.

Jerry Lewis and Sandra Bernhard also were really good here, in supporting roles. Comedians sometimes make great dramatic actors as Lewis has demonstrated in several films. I don't know, frankly, if Bernard has ever done anything remotely as good as this.

Biographies of eccentric people usually are interesting and this one more than fits the bill. This movie was not popular with audiences and a number of critics but I think it was superbly done with laugh-out-loud lines as well as subtle humor and great acting. It is a wonderful character study of obsessed fans of celebrities, a pitiful condition that exists even more today.

I am not particularly a fan of director Martin Scorcese. Almost all of his films are ultra profane, but not here. There has very little profanity, and none, ironically, by De Niro. The only negative I found was making a hero out of his character, who executes a kidnapping and is richly rewarded for his efforts. Puh-leeze!! I wish Hollywood would stop making heroes out of criminals.

If you have a warped sense humor, however, which I do, you'll love this film. I think it is perhaps the best-ever from Scorcese and De Niro.

I don't know what to make of this movie. It's not funny enough for a comedy, too funny for a drama and not dark enough to be a dark comedy. I just can't put my finger on it.

The story is nice but it has some obvious cliché's in it. There are (too) few moments that make it seem that master director Scorsese directed this movie, other then that the movie is only just average and misses the special touch and feeling.

De Niro is great and puts down a great character that is worth remembering. Jerry Lewis pulls of quit well but turns pale compared to De Niro's performance. The rest of the cast plays a too minor role with as a result that De Niro alone needs to carry this movie but that's something that didn't failed.

There are some genius scene's and moments that are done and work very well (the ending is great!) but too few to pull up the level of this movie. The comical elements and dialogue in the movie are good but there are simply not enough of it.

A bit of a disappointing Scorsese & De Niro co-operation. You would and should expect more fireworks from those two, especially when they are working together. But the movie is far from a failure and still recommendable.

7/10

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In a recent conversation with a friend I mentioned the Orwell quote that " When viewed from the inside life is simply a series of defeats " . Martin Scorsese recognises this existentialist angst very well . In fact this is what qualifies him as an auteur - his films usually consist of a protagonist trying to get through life to achieve a goal and it's this goal that leads to their destruction either literally or figuratively . It's something I would describe as " existentialist quicksand " , the more the protagonist struggles against their defeats the more they sink and the quicker their final defeat

THE KING OF COMEDY continues this trend by Scorsese . Rupert Pupkin is a middle aged man who lives with his mother and his target in life is to become a rich and famous stand up comedian . There's two barriers to this career move . One is he's not funny , the second is he's not connected to anyone who can help him . Narcissistic self delusion stops the first problem while meeting chat show king Jerry Langford will cure the second problem Pupkin , it's just a case of catching Jerry's attention . Unfortunately for Jerry his devoted fan is going to more and more extreme methods to get hold of him

There is a fundamental problem with THE KING OF COMEDY and that is you feel you're watching a reworking of Scorsese's TAXI DRIVER . Rupert Pipkin whilst a less dangerous sociopath than Travis Bickle is very similar and casting Robert DeNiro adds to the problem .It might not have been recognised too much in 1982 but the one flaw in the genius of Scorsese is that he does tend to do unintentional remakes through the years . He remade TAXI DRIVER again with BRINGING OUT THE DEAD and he remade his masterwork GOODFELAS a few years later with CASINO and the audience will always notice how the original was superior

That said despite the flaws Scorsese is a genius and he understands the human condition in general and the male psyche in particular . Rupert wants to impress a girl and this motive has led men to commit amongst other things great atrocities and great art through the ages . It's a narrative an audience can sympathise with , though few of the audience will confess with just how much we can sympathise with Rupert

Robert De Niro stars as Rupert Pupkin, a New York City star-monger who dreams of hosting a TV program modeled on "The Tonight Show". Working from a screenplay by Paul D. Zimmerman, director Martin Scorsese takes an almost clinical approach to this darkly-comic material; he means to fill the scenario with 'colorful' vipers but, aside from the good performances, it's a seemingly pointless excursion into human dementia. De Niro gives a love-it-or-hate-it performance; he's all on one-note, yet some will applaud the note. Sandra Bernhard makes herself into a harpy as an early variant of the star-stalker, while Jerry Lewis plays the Johnny Carson role in an effective low key. Even after seeing the film a couple of times, I'm still not sure how Scorsese wanted audiences to react to it. It's rather a rancid picture, where the self-important are mired in self-hatred. ** from ****