The King of Comedy

My dear Martin Scorsese, once again you prove in here why are you one of my favourites.

In The King of Comedy we follow Rupert Pupkin an obsessive fan of the very well known Jerry Langston a tv host and comedian that has a famous tv show. Rupert's daily life is all around Langston. He dreams about becoming one day like him. His goal is to be admired as a great comedian and he wants Langston to help him to get there.

The study of the character is amazing in here. Rupert is a lonely man, deep inside he is very sad, although he shows to be a very secure and happy man to everybody else. That's what makes this film into a fantastic masterpiece! Trying to understand certain behaviours of the human mind is not easy and nowadays the "celebrity obsession" is still present in our culture and there are people that are capable of doing anything for a moment of fame. But this is not in fact the main theme of this film. Deeper questions are related with it.

Without spoiling much there's one particular scene almost at the end of the film, Rupert's act at the tv talk show, that pretty sums up the whole film. Martin Scorsese was not only trying to show how the world of fame works but also, and most of all, what leads a man to a desperate situation. Troubled childhood and bad experiences in life may change some of the weakest minds and lead them into craziness.

When I was younger I used to watch a lot of Jerry Lewis films, both of my parents are big fans of him. His films are hilarious (I need to rewatch some of them btw). But the thing that most intrigued me was the fact that I already knew that Jerry Lewis would have a serious role in this film and not his usual comical tone that I already had seen. I was very curious about seeing this other side of him and I can say that he was great!
Some comedic actors turn out to be pretty great in dramatic roles. Jerry Lewis plays the arrogant scumbag that is tired of the spotlight. He is used to deal with a lot of guys like Rupert every day and treats his fans with disregard and he can't tolerate them.
Sandra Bernhard gives also a great psychotic performance as Masha, Rupert's friend that is also obsessed with Langston.

Martin Scorsese did a clever choice by choosing one of the most claimed comedy actors to play the role of a cynical comedy entertainer. But the guy who really shines in this film is Mr. Robert De Niro, what a magnificient performance! He perfectly portrays a person that is mentally unstable. Rupert lives in total isolation, he fantasizes all the time with situations at are real in his brain, he made himself believe in the lies that he created in his head.

No doubt, The King of Comedy is another masterpiece done by one of the finest man in the business.

Fuckin awesome movie. Haven’t watched joker yet? Then don’t and watch this!

Tremendous. One of the most underrated movies of all time. It’s like the wine, with the time going, the better it becomes. Great! 9/10

This film stars De Niro as a wannabe comic/star that stalks a pseudo Johnny Carson (Jerry Lewis) in his attempt to be famous. The movie was a fascinating character study of a pathetic and delusional man that has little or no ability to grasp reality. He manages to hook up with an equally kookie Sandra Bernhard and they combine forces to... well, I won't say. The movie is brilliantly acted.

"Better to be king for a night, than a schmuck for a lifetime."

Looking back on Scorsese and De Niro's movies together you think of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas. They are all great performances but Rupert Pupkin might be the best performance and character of them all. This movie thrives on De Niro's charisma and Jerry Lewis. It's really dark and funny. A super underappreciated Scorsese film.

This is a great film that has many undertones to the movie Joker. Robert Deniro is a fan obsessed with talk show host Jerry Langford played by Jerry Lewis. It is more of a character study into Rupert Pupkin played by Deniro, an aspiring comedian trying to make it in the big time. Mishaps occur.... great movie. Totally underrated!

Great movie about a stalker who looses all sense of reality. Played to perfection by De Niro. A great piece of cinema.

When comedy can be mightier and way more uncomfortable than serious drama. The fact that it’s technically rough on the edges just adds up to the film’s bizarre aura. Even though we are probably supposed to laugh at the protagonist, it’s hard not to feel empathy and embarrassment for him, as it won't take much to understand where his delusions are coming from. The ending didn’t take the direction I had expected, but it’s probably the best way to make an even more absurd commentary on how stardom works. A message very close to the one of “Taxi Driver”, but told in a subtler and possibly more grotesque manner.

A bit long-winded, but undoubtedly a very good movie.

'The King of Comedy' has a sturdy Robert De Niro lead performance, as well as solid support from Jerry Lewis and Sandra Bernhard. I enjoyed seeing the split from what actually happens and how De Niro's Rupert Pupkin views things via his dreams; especially with how merged they become by the end.

Absolutely zero surprise to now learn that Todd Phillips and Scott Silver used this and 'Taxi Driver' as inspiration when writing 'Joker'. Quite cool though!

I had no idea Martin Scorsese directed comedy films, but this was just that. And with yet another one of the famous team-ups with the legendary Robert de Niro, who I don’t imagine outside of his gangster roles. But he does just that here, showing his incredible versatility. Comedian Rupert Pupkin (Robert de Niro) becomes frustrated by a failing career and runs into his comedian idol Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis). Langford also is a talk-show host, so Pupkin thinks Langford is his ticket to stardom. However, he soon learns that Langford doesn’t find him funny or even provide an opportunity to prove himself. In his obsessed rage, Pupkin attempts to draw attention through extracurricular activities, including stalking Langford. He tries to strong-arm Langford into giving him a spot on the show, but Langford rejects him as unproven. Once that fails, Pupkin takes things to the next level.

I didn’t like this movie at the beginning, but I was surprised from the midway point. The cinematography, writing, directing, and atmosphere kept you engrossed. De Niro gave a sensational performance, but he is one of the ten greatest actors ever for a reason. You can’t be near the top of the acting G.O.A.T list without doing this repeatedly and in different genre roles. I see many character similarities between Pupkin, Bickle in Scorsese’s ‘Taxi Driver’, and later Joker in ‘Joker’. Jerry Lewis was also very good at a role where he essentially plays himself as a stand-up comedian trying to deal with a raving lunatic. The acting, outside of that from Niro and Lewis, was average. Scorsese does an excellent job of making the intense moments uncomfortable (and funny in a dark manner). The humor was disturbing and not something that would leave you will bellyaching laughter. It’s still funny watching Pupkin make an absolute fool of himself through his idiocy and lack of self-awareness.

Would I recommend it? Probably not a must-watch film, but I felt it was decent. I believe it holds up well 40 years later because fame and stardom are something people chase, often to the levels of manic obsession. It will never change, and this is one snapshot of such obsession with fame.