King of Comedy | Diahnne Abbott, Richard Baratz | MIght be the best contemporary film ever made

King of Comedy | Diahnne Abbott, Richard Baratz | An honest look at our own obsessions with fame and fortune...

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King of Comedy

	King of Comedy Diahnne Abbott, Richard Baratz 20th Century Fox, 2002 average customer review:based on 97 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Martin Scorsese's The King Of Comedy is a funny depiction of the dangers of celebrity fandom. Robert De Niro plays the ridiculously inept Rupert Rupkin, 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 carboard 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 (Sandra Berhard), to kidnap Langford in exchange for a chance to let him deliver his routine on the air.

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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.

An honest look at our own obsessions with fame and fortune...

Be forewarned, this is not a laugh out loud comedy that will have you rolling in the isles. It is a more subtle yet utterly hysterical satire that pokes fun at the road to fame and the dim-witted hacks that clutter that said road. It exposes the disease that it fame and how easy it is for one to deceive themselves into thinking they have what it takes; and then again how easy it is for someone who lacks talent to make it on pure ambition alone.

`The King of Comedy' revolves around Robert Pupkin, a delusional wannabe comedian who sees local late night talk show host Jerry Langford as his ticket to the big leagues. Every night on the `Jerry Show' they have a `King of Comedy' and Pupkin desires to be that said king. He tries to corner Jerry, prodding him with material and asking him to consider letting him on the show, but when Jerry tries to let him down easy he only retaliates with a more forceful approach. After several failed attempts to become a part of Jerry's life Rupert finally decides that he has to take a more extreme approach to the matter, and that's when he enlists the help of another obsessive fan, Masha, in a kidnapping scheme that finally gets Rupert the attention he feels he deserves.

The script is deliciously subtle, a script that relies on the audiences perception of events rather than obvious gags. Case-in-point, one never hears Rupert's actual standup until the very end of the film, so we are only to conclude that he is a no-talent hack with no potential on the reactions of others, making up our own minds much later on in the film.

It is the strong performances that really elevate the film though, Robert De Niro once again proving why he was considered the greatest actor of his generation. As Rupert, De Niro never makes him a likable guy but always presents him in a way that endears us to him. He is annoying and obnoxious and completely delusional but there is some small quality within him that is so honestly human we can't help but relate. I mean which one of us hasn't had a fake conversation with a celebrity just to feel what it would be like to be `on their level'?

I found myself wondering if I am that delusional in my desire to be famous...

The rest of the cast is just as wonderful, from Jerry Lewis who actually plays it straight here, reigning in his own comedic energy to play the average celebrity trying his hardest to live a normal life. Sandra Bernhard steals every scene as Masha, throwing her over-the-top antics in our face and causing that ripple effect in our guts until we're bursting with laughter.

If ever there was a film to squash the claim that Martin Scorsese only directs gangster flicks, this would be that film. It is smart, witty and insanely honest and drives Scorsese (and even De Niro) in a direction they rarely venture. It is one of Scorsese's finest films and one of De Niro's finest performances, and that's saying a lot since both director and actor are usually phenomenal.

The films ending is rather appropriate, and actually elevates the film for me for it speaks such honesty, especially in a world littered with fake celebrities (I'm looking at you Kim Kardashian). In a reality based society where misfits litter the audition segments of top shows like `American Idol' it appears that `The King of Comedy' is more pertinent today than it was upon its release. Maybe that's why the film garnered no traction at the time. This is sad; for `The King of Comedy' is one of the smartest comedies I have had the pleasure of seeing and is one that is sure to get a rise out of anyone who is remotely up to date with today's pop culture.

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Good One

Me like movie. Me like man in movie. He funny. Me hope that me see movie seven more times.

If you like "Curb your enthusiasm" - the king of comedy is for you

so awkward and unpleasant, it will rivet you. Jerry Lewis has never been funnier without trying. Fall in love with sandra - If you need to feel good about yourself, you will; everyone in the movie is crackers.

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!

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