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Movies / On DVD / The King of Comedy
The King of Comedy

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The King of Comedy (1982)

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92 %
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Reviews Counted: 38

Fresh: 35

Rotten:3

Average Rating: 8.3/10

Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: Martin Scorsese's THE KING OF COMEDY is a brutally funny depiction of the dangers of celebrity fandom. Robert De Niro plays the ridiculously inept Rupert Pupkin, an aspiring comic who idolizes... Martin Scorsese's THE KING OF COMEDY is a brutally funny depiction of the dangers of celebrity fandom. Robert De Niro plays the ridiculously inept Rupert Pupkin, an aspiring comic who idolizes talk-show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis). Still living at home with his mother, Rupert spends his days trying to arrange a meeting with his hero. When he isn't doing that, he's at home talking to cardboard cutouts in his makeshift television studio. After Rupert convinces Rita (Diahnne Abbot), a pretty bartender, that Langford has invited them to his house outside the city, the reality of the situation makes itself painfully apparent upon arriving at the star's front door. Trouble is, Rupert's too delusional to take the hint. He eventually hatches a plan with an equally obsessed fan, Masha (a scene-stealing Sandra Bernhard), to kidnap Langford in exchange for a chance to let him deliver his routine on the air. De Niro and Lewis deliver scorching performances that are at once tragic and hysterical, making for an unsettling yet highly stimulating viewing experience. Paul D. Zimmerman's script takes the time to truly crawl inside the mind of a lunatic, exposing celebrity worship as the ludicrous problem that it is. THE KING OF COMEDY stands firmly as one of Scorsese's most terrifying films. [More]

Starring: Robert DeNiro, Jerry Lewis, Sandra Bernhard, Diahnne Abbott

Starring: Robert DeNiro, Jerry Lewis, Sandra Bernhard, Diahnne Abbott, Tony Randall, Frederick De Cordova, Ed Herlihy, Catherine Scorsese

Director: Martin Scorsese

Director: Martin Scorsese
Producer: Arnon Milchan
Screenwriter: Paul D. Zimmerman
Composer: Robbie Robertson

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jun 6, 2006

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The King of Comedy

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Neither funny enough to be an effective black comedy nor scary enough to capitalise on its thriller/horror elements.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment 2 Comments
03/31/08
Adam Smith
Empire Magazine

Worlds away from the bravura flash of other DeNiro-Scorsese collaborations, this underrated, claustrophobic, chilling satire is particularly prescient of today's celebrity-fixated society. A modern classic.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
03/31/08
Channel 4 Film

The uncenteredness of the film is irritating, though it's irritating in an ambitious, risk-taking way.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
03/31/08
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

To be sure, Robert De Niro turns in another virtuoso performance for Martin Scorsese, just as in their four previous efforts. But once again -- and even more so -- they come up with a character that it's hard to spend time with.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/31/08
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Fascinating drama with DeNiro as psycho, talk show wannabe, and Jerry Lewis giving great performance.

comment Comment
06/07/07
Steve Crum
Video-Reviewmaster.com

Much understood by critics in 1983, this is one of the most incisive (and scary) movies about the desperate desire to achieve fame in American society, increasingly dominated by shallow pop culture; De Niro, Jerry Lewis and Sandra Bernhard are terrific

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
02/22/07
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
05/15/06
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Creepiest movie of the year in every sense, and one of the best.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out

Beautifully dark and original.

comment Comment
11/07/05
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

One of the most disturbing, thought-provoking and funniest films of the 1980s. This underappreciated Scorsese great is more relevant today than ever.

comment Comment
10/21/05
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

No review available.

comment Comment
09/18/05
Michael Dequina
Mr. Brown's Movies

No review available.

comment Comment
07/01/05
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

No review available.

comment Comment
06/30/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

One of Scorsese's very best

comment Comment
05/25/05
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times

This bizarre work is one of Martin Scorsese's greatest and most underrated films.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
02/07/05
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

excellent

comment Comment
09/19/04
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Reveals the trivialization of culture when celebrity reigns.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
08/19/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Takes an equally harsh look at the dark side of comedy, society’s value of success driving people to desperate acts, and the press’ bloodthirsty desire to sensationalize.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
08/29/03
Derek Smith
Apollo Guide

No review available.

comment Comment
08/29/03
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

No review available.

comment Comment
08/23/03
Rebecca Murray
About.com
 
 
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