King of Comedy

Pros: Robert De Niro, direction, interesting story, funny,
Cons: None

After the ridiculous success of 1980's Raging Bull, which won an Oscar for Robert De Niro, Scorsese bounced back a mere two years later with one of his best (and most forgotten) films, The King of Comedy starring, you guessed it, Robert De ...

Pros: An interesting film about fan obsession and fame.
Cons: Sometimes the characters are annoying; but that's how they are.

As I'm weeding through the collection of old VHS tapes I picked up in clearances throughout the years, I come across all sorts of odd ones, as evidenced by recent reviews. Another one of those oddball films is the 1983 movie King of Comedy a ...

Pros: Good movie
Cons: None

I caught this flick on cable the other day and liked it as much as the first time I saw it 18 years ago. The King of Comedy, released in 1982 stars Robert DeNiro and Jerry Lewis, both excellent in this dark comedy (more eerie than funny), playing...

Pros: Sharp script, tight direction, very funny and dark.
Cons: the ending feels a bit too light.

Following the massive critical success of Raging Bull, Martin Scorsese and Robert Deniro teamed up yet again for the bizarre, disturbing black comedy, The King of Comedy. Co-starring Jerry Lewis and Sandra Bernhard, The King of...

Pros: Good writing, very strong performances by DeNiro, Lewis, & Bernhard, Scorcese's direction
Cons: Story will feel very uneasy

The King Of Comedy is a movie that will make you feel very uneasy in the shoes of another man. Especially when that man is Rupert Pupkin (Robert DeNiro), a wannabe so desperate to break into showbiz that he does dangerous things in the effort, like ...

Pros: Who'd have thought Jerry Lewis could hold his own against Robert De Niro?
Cons: Having to see Sandra Bernhard strip down to bra and panties.

Two words that always come to mind whenever I tell people about "The King of Comedy" are "prophetic" and "underrated." Prophetic, because of the increase in celebrity mania since "The King of Comedy" was released in 1983, whereby celebrity status has ...

Pros: A beautiful and engaging drama about dreams, the lengths we go to for them.
Cons: media satire interferes with this character study occasionally

Rupert Pupkin is just another face in the crowd, but there's something just a little off about him. He won't leave famous talk show host Jerry Lankford alone. He knows his every move, in fact. All Rupert wants is a one-shot ten minute stand up comic...

Pros: Good performances from Jerry Lewis and Robert De Niro. Very insightful about stalkers.
Cons: None come to mind.

There are celebrity fanatics and there are stalkers, but is the line between them really that far? Martin Scorsese's The King of Comedy shows us that it is. Where a celebrity fanatic stops his cheering and glares at the celebrity's car driving away from ...

Pros: De Niro and Scorsese, darkly comic script, wonderful acting.
Cons: A little slow at points.

THE KING OF COMEDY was Scorsese and De Niro's fourth film together and their first and only comic collaboration, which is a real shame considering De Niro has recently been showing a real flare for comedy. This film is,given who's behind the camera, more...

Pros: In what is still Scorsese's greatest movie, the cast performs with a palpable intensity and the writing remains smart, funny and cynical from beginning to end.
Cons: There are times when the story is so intense you want to look away -- but that's finally a testament to Scorsese's manifest skill as a filmmaker.

Recently compiling a list of my favorite comedies, I found myself torn over how to rank The King of Comedy. It's funny, yes -- but like Sunset Blvd., a film it resembles both in story and final effect, its laughter eventually turns empty as...

Pros: Robert DeNiro
Cons: Sandra Bernhard

The King of Comedy is the Martin Scorsese film where Robert DeNiro plays a disturbed man, and it’s almost as good as the Woody Allen film where Woody plays a neurotic Jew obsessed with issues of sex, death and religion. The title is misleading, though;...

Pros: Good character study, black comedy/suspense
Cons: Not as vivid as some of Scorsese's other films

"King of Comedy" is an interesting black comedy in which a would-be standup, Rupert Pupkin (DeNiro) kidnaps talk show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis). His ransom is that Langford must allow him an appearance on the show.

The...

Pros: DeNiro's frightening performance, creepy and funny at the same time.
Cons: Once again, where is the DVD release?

While remaining one of Scorsese's least appreciated films, it is nevertheless one of his best, full of brilliant insight and dark humor. Robert DeNiro (in a fascinating, chilling performance) portrays Rupert Pupkin, a deluded loser who dreams of being a...

Pros: A Classic
Cons: You will watch the Tonight Show the same way again

Paul D. Zimmerman won the British Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Every aspiring screenwriter should see this movie as its beautifully crafted. King of Comedy shines due to Zimmerman's genius script, an stunning dramatic Jerry Lewis performance and all the intensity that comes with a Scorcese/DeNiro pairing.
See this movie once and you will never view American culture the same way again.
Written in 1973, released in 1983, this movie is more powerful and important than ever. It is an eerie in its exploration of America's love affair with the criminal as celebrity.