The King of Comedy

1983 • 109 minut

Informacje o filmie

Oscar Winner Robert De Niro gives a mesmerizing performance in Martin Scorsese's timeless, darkly funny satire as Rupert Pupkin, a deranged comedian who will go to any length to gain the spotlight. Teaming with an equally imbalanced woman (Sandra Bernhard), Pupkin kidnaps his idol, jaded TV talk show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis). The ransom? Pupkin gets one appearance on Langford's show.

Oceny i recenzje

Another fantastic character study from Scorsese. Certainly a less bloodthirsty film than his 1976 classic 'Taxi Driver', yet every bit as engaging and sad. Once again, as in Taxi Driver, DeNiro wonderfully plays a completely deranged man with no attachment to reality and a single-minded purpose. Jerry Lewis also does a fantastic job playing a comedian whose life seems a little less than remarkable and who has to deal with two complete psychopaths hounding him everywhere he goes. Even Sandra Bernhard does a good job playing an equally deranged sidekick to DeNiro's "Pupkin". This one is nowhere near as beloved or well-remembered as Taxi Driver, but I think this film is equal in quality. An absolute classic. Highly recommended.

First time I've ever seen De Niro bad. I think that's Scorsese, though. I don't think he's ever understood humor. It's sad to see De Niro so caricature a person. He played it as if he were playing Mickey Mouse. Yuk. His old flame and mother of his child, Diahnne Abbott, was beautiful, and that's the best I've ever seen Jerry Lewis. I never would have guessed De Niro could be bad. Times change.

First there was Taxi Driver, then there was The King of Comedy. Rupert Pupkin is a man who considers himself to be a comedian. He seems validation, but very few do. His dream is to be on a late night show hosted by Jerry Langford. As the film goes along, delusions blend in with reality and we don't know if he's crazy or not. But in the end, he's happy with an audience he always wanted. I can't recommend this movie enough. This film is a masterclass in how to hook an audience. Not only is it well written, but the performances elevate the material to something far greater. I highly recommend this picture to you if you haven't seen it.