The King of Comedy (1983)

Good One

Me like movie. Me like man in movie. He funny. Me hope that me see movie seven more times. August 12, 2008

If you need a reminder that DeNiro is a great actor...

Such a great film. Robert DeNiro is simply one of the finest actors of our time. His recent output has been shady at best, but go back and watch this movie, and remind yourself of just how good the man can be. Keep in mind that he had just won an Oscar a couple of years earlier for playing a monster of a man in "Raging Bull", and now here he is transforming into a mouse of a man as Mama's boy Rupert. Jerry Lewis steals every scene he's in, and Sandra Bernhardt is...um...insane. And kinda sexy. The extras on the dvd leave a little to be desired, but there is a nice making-of featurette. It was definitely worth my $4.99! December 15, 2007

MIght be the best contemporary film ever made

Just get it and watch it. You have probably never seen anything like it, and won't ever again. Creative, quirky, sad, funny, and disturbing, you'll never meet another character like Rupert Pupkin played by Robert DeNiro in his finest, finest, role. Sandra Bernhard is amazing and perhaps the saddest part of the film is realizing what we missed out on by not having the same respect for Jerry Lewis as the French. Don't miss this film. December 13, 2007

More sad than funny. Actually, totally depressing.

The King of Comedy has to be given credit for being a relentless portrait of the ultimate loser. The big joke is that he is not funny, nor is he smart -- he is a leech, a criminal, and someone with disturbing juvenile fantasies. It is a brutal film that takes great pleasure in mocking the most horrid of the lonely, pathetic outcasts of our society.

Needless to say, in its uber-satirical portrayal of a complete putz achieving his ultimate goals, it was a chilling precursor of what we have now on the airwaves. It has to be given a lot of credit for this and it does in fact achieve some incredibly depressing lows in its pitch-black, embarassingly awful scenes. The King of Comedy goes places that most movies would not dare, and subjects its characters to humiliations that would drive most people to ponder suicide. And what's it all for?

My real problem with The King of Comedy has to do with Scorsese's inability to balance out any of this miserable material with a sense of flair that makes for the best satires. "Network" makes essentially the same point as The King of Comedy, but leaves the audience with an entirely different lesson: that our media is completely insane but is a distorted mirror of our own selves. The King of Comedy is by comparison completely nihilistic and hopeless. The ending of this film is not funny, it is horrific. Thank God the world is not as complicit as Scorsese serves up in this film.

And lastly -- losers can be awesome. Most of them are genuinely passionate and sincere, and desperately want to fit in. November 29, 2007

Incredible From Start to Finish

The character of Rupert Pupkin could only be put on screen by the immaculate Robert De Niro. Considering the characters of Young Vito (The Godfather, Part II (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)), Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)), Jake La Motta (Raging Bull (Special Edition)), and Noodles (Once Upon a Time in America (Two-Disc Special Edition)), this a stark change for Robert De Niro.

Rupert Pupkin is a wannabe stand-up comic. He idolizes late night talk show host Jerry Langford (played wonderfully by Jerry Lewis) and hopes he can help him get his big break.

This movie talkes you on an incredible ride and doesn't let you off at all. This is definitely one of De Niro's memorable characters. The whole cast is perfect. From the zany antics of his wacky sidekick Sandra Bernhard, to the subtle nuances of his dream girl Diahnne Abbott.

One for the ages. Highly recommended. August 24, 2007

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