Rating: 
Summary: The Best Scorsese Film That Nobody Has Seen
Review: The King of Comedy and After Hours are the two Scorsese films that never get the attention they deserve. Perhaps it's because they're too bitter, perhaps because they're too subtle, whatever the reason The King of Comedy is a splendid movie which is undoubtedly one of Scorsese's best.The plot focuses on loser Rupert Pupkin, a middle aged man who obsesses over late night talk show host Jerry, played by Jerry Lewis in his best performance. As the story unfolds Rupert gradually becomes more fantical and at the end resorts to abducting Jerry. What does Rupert want? Well mostly it seems that he's looking for attention. He wants to appear on Jerry's show and experience fame himself. The King of Comedy is a very repelent movie because it's so cold. Every character is in their own way dispicable and hard to sympathize with. They are all selfish and egotisitical. The ending is such a vile, cold affair as Rupert is serenaded by an audience applauding him in his own mind... Fantastic. In fact there's not one person in this movie that you could really like. I believe that is what turned off so many viewers. This is intended to be a dark movie and if you see it as such you'll have a blast. Like Election this is a film that has a very bitter and cynical sense of humour. This is probably the best Scorsese film after GoodFellas and Casino, yes it's better (slightly) than Raging Bull.
Rating:
Summary: A modern classic that will make you squirm
Review: DeNiro's portrayal of loser Rupert Pupkin ranks as one of the two best and most memorable roles in entertainment (the other being Frank Bonner's "Herb Tarlek, Jr." character on WKRP in Cincinnati). Pupkin is a doggedly determined hack of a comedian, mired so deep in self-delusion as to border on a form of psychosis. Thanks to DeNiro's talent (perfect as always), Pupkin is alternately loveable and detestably annoying. You just want to reach into the screen and SMACK him sometimes (hence the word "squirm" above). There are no missteps in this film - wonderfully cast! And special kudos to Shelley Hack for her role as the ever-professional Producer's Assistant whose patience is put to the test by "Mr. Pumpkin." If you've never seen this film you are missing one of DeNiro's greatest performances and, in the role of Carson-esque TV host Jerry Langford, Jerry Lewis' best dramatic role. I've heard over the years that the way Lewis plays Langford is "remarkably similar" to the real-life Lewis. But I wouldn't know. But he is powerful in this movie, just as is DeNiro.
Rating: 
Summary: SHOWBIZ FROM THE LUNATIC FRINGES (ON A GREAT DVD!)
Review: Martin Scorsese's brilliant satire about a wannabe standup/schmuck played with deliberate humorlessness by De Niro, who suffers from delusions of grandeur, determined to meet his hero Jerry Lewis in a performance played with shocking bravura. The film is timeless in its depiction of the twin themes of celebrity stalking with its masochistic need to be discovered by the world on one hand, and the perils of stardom on the other. The perfect comic execution could easily have been the inspiration for several of recent thinkpieces -- "Election", "Fight Club", "The Truman Show", "One Hour Photo" etc. A word for the DVD. It is brilliantly put together with detailed interviews with Scorcese, Bernhart, De Niro etc, plus some funny cameos by Jerry Lewis himself, and a funny handy-cam outtake or two while shooting Lewis on the streets of NY. A very worthy purchase, not just a rental!
Rating:
Summary: The court jester rules
Review: Martin Scorsese's 'The King of Comedy' has long been a favourite film of mine. The storyline is nothing grand, and the acting is passing fair, but it is the little psychological pieces that keep poking in that make this movie an interesting one to watch. This is not a typical Jerry Lewis film by any means. He is not a comedian in this film (of course, I know many who think, 'he's not a comedian in any film'). He plays the straight man, a rather sour and jaded entertainment professional. Robert DeNiro (as Rupert Pupkin) and Sandra Bernhard (as Marsha) play two star-struck fans who have focussed their lives on Jerry Langford (Lewis' character) to the extent that they are imagining weekend outings with him and knitting sweaters for him. The story largely revolves around Rupert's desire to be a comic and appear on Langford's Tonight Show-style talkshow. In an interesting twist, given the Tonight Show character of the show, the movie features cameos from many old talkshow stand-bys, including Victor Borge, Dr. Joyce Brothers, and Tony Randall. As Rupert and Marsha compete with each other to outdo the other in establishing a 'relationship' with Langford (everything from owning memorabilia to autographs to event attendance) Rupert's imagination keeps concocting more elaborate relationships, which he finally fails to be able to distinguish from reality. This comes to a confrontation when he travels out to Langford's weekend home (with an unsuspecting woman in tow) and gets ejected from the home by Langford and told, in no uncertain terms, that he is neither known nor wanted. At this point, being confronted with a painful reality, Rupert decides upon drastic action, and with the assistance of Marsha, kidnaps Langford and holds him for ransom, the ransom being an appearance on the show. Rupert's fantasies include being married to his high school crush on the show, by his old principal, who apologises for not seeing the worth in Rupert; Langford pleading with a resistant Rupert to guest host the show; essentially, everything in Rupert's life that had gone wrong gets righted. This is dark humour, to be sure, and the pace can be rather slow. But this movie is largely overlooked, and deserves a bit more attention for the interesting psychological devices in the story.
Rating:
Summary: Role Reversal
Review: In "The King Of Comedy," Robert DeNiro plays an aspiring stand-up comedian, who is really a borderline psychotic, obsessed with becoming famous. Jerry Lewis plays a jocular talk-show host, who is really a cold, cynical celebrity, tired of being famous. Basically, Lewis (Jerry Langford) plays it straight while DeNiro (Rupert Pupkin) plays it for laughs - not what the audience was expecting to see. That both actors were able to play their parts to perfection is a testament to their talent. Unfortunately, this movie was not a box office success upon its initial release. Hopefully, enough people will discover and come to appreciate this film for it to be issued on DVD.
Rating:
Summary: A modern classic that will make you squirm
Review: DeNiro's portrayal of loser Rupert Pupkin ranks as one of the two best and most memorable roles in entertainment (the other being Frank Bonner's "Herb Tarlek, Jr." character on WKRP in Cincinnati). Pupkin is a doggedly determined hack of a comedian, mired so deep in self-delusion as to border on a form of psychosis. Thanks to DeNiro's talent (perfect as always), Pupkin is alternately loveable and detestably annoying. You just want to reach into the screen and SMACK him sometimes (hence the word "squirm" above). There are no missteps in this film - wonderfully cast! And special kudos to Shelley Hack for her role as the ever-professional Producer's Assistant whose patience is put to the test by "Mr. Pumpkin." If you've never seen this film you are missing one of DeNiro's greatest performances and, in the role of Carson-esque TV host Jerry Langford, Jerry Lewis' best dramatic role. I've heard over the years that the way Lewis plays Langford is "remarkably similar" to the real-life Lewis. But I wouldn't know. But he is powerful in this movie, just as is DeNiro.
Rating:
Summary: Greatest Film Ever - "I wouldn't lie to you Rupe!"
Review: How often do you see a film for the first time in which you get so embarrased for the star you want to press stop every 15 minutes! Once you've made it past the first viewing, you're gunna really enjoy watching this one over and over again - it gets better everytime! I've never laughed so hard watching a movie in my entire life!! It's totally original and nothing can compare to it. Thank you for making this Marty and thank you Bobby for talking him into doing it!
Rating:
Summary: Deniro's most underrated film?
Review: I think this is definatley the most underrated film for Marty/Deniro and possibly even for Deniro. King of Comedy is the portral of Rupert Pupkin who has dreams of late night television. Robert DeNiro gives one of his best performances to date as the slightly nuerotic Rupert Pupkin. Also stars Sandra Bernhardt a crazed fan of Jerry Lewis, together Deniro and Bernhardt are hilarious. King of Comedy is one not to be missed and we see Deniro & Marty at the top of their game.
Rating:
Summary: One of De Niro's most human -- and hilarious -- roles!
Review: "Better to be king for a night than a schmuck for a lifetime." As Travis Bickle's universally known line of dialogue from "Taxi Driver" has a deep meaning ("Are you talkin' to me? Well I'm the only one here"), Rupert Pupkin's closing speech of his first-ever standup comedy routine in "The King of Comedy" finalizes the entire meaning of the film, wrapping it up in one short sentence. Is it better to have one great day versus nothing? Do the ends justify the means? Two questions all of us ask ourselves at one point of time in our life. The comparisons to Travis Bickle seem stronger on paper than they do in the film. The most striking resemblance between the two stories is that both contain the central theme of a man snapping and doing something apparently crazy. Both films star Robert De Niro, and both are directed by Martin Scorsese, which makes for an interesting discussion of relation. Some may even say that it's a sequel in sorts. Rupert Pupkin (De Niro) is a lonely man whose daily life and routines consist around one man: Jerry Langston, a talk show host and comedian who is followed by a horde of rabid fans, including Masha (Sandra Bernhard), a fan to rival Pupkin, who admits that he has waited nine hours at a time outside Jerry's recording studio to catch a glimpse of him as he is shoved into limos by fancy bodyguards. Rupert is given a rare opportunity to speak to Jerry one day as he saves him from Masha, who assaulted Jerry with kisses and hugs. It is as they drive away together and Rupert talks to Jerry that he proposes his long-time dream, which is to appear on Jerry's show as an aspiring standup comic. Of course, he's had no experience. But Rupert swears he would be great on stage -- he's studied Jerry for years and knows timing. Langston gets these psychos all the time, but he doesn't realize just how strong a fan Rupert is until he shows up at his private home with suitcases and a girl claiming to have been invited. "I made a mistake," Rupert says. "So did Hitler," Jerry barks. Jerry Lewis plays Jerry Langston in a self-referential (and very unflattering) role. It's his finest to date. The guy is a scumbag who barely tolerates fans and is cruel. Lewis has lost his manic, energetic, annoying comedy rituals seen in films such as "The Nutty Professor" and has moved on to real acting that demands true skill. Gone are the squeaky voice and the crossed eyes. Here is perhaps the wretched soul who really exists behind Jerry Lewis, as we know him. All of us exaggerate, but Rupert does so to an extreme. After being shoved out of Jerry's limo the night of their confrontation with an invitation to call Jerry's secretary to schedule a meeting, Rupert shows up at Jerry's office claiming to have an appointment. "Is Jerry expecting you?" he is asked by a clerk. "Yes, I don't think so," Rupert says. Jerry and his workers, who deny his taped comedy routine that we never hear until the end, shun Rupert. "Oh, I see, this is what happens to people like you from all of this!" Rupert yells at Jerry. "No," he replies. "I've always been like this." So Rupert breaks down and kidnaps Jerry with the help of Masha, demanding a spot on his TV show as a ransom payment. He commands that he will be referenced to as "The King of Comedy" (hence the title), and to further demonstrate the innocence of Rupert's character, when he shows up, he fails to see the gravity of the offence he has just committed. Rupert is twisted, as you may have guessed by now, but not in a Travis Bickle kind of way. He doesn't see the bad in the world -- he's oblivious to it. "You're so naive!" Masha tells him. I wouldn't be surprised if he took it as a compliment. Rupert lives in complete isolation, kept locked up with his mother and living his life by what he says on TV. His dialogue and mannerisms are all clichéd -- he says the kind of stuff one would expect a poorly written film to feature. When he tries to impress a female bartender, and when he tries to make small talk with Jerry, he frightens both individuals (similar to Travis Bickle frightening Senator Palantine and the Secret Service Agent). Rupert daydreams a lot, pretending to be a guest on Jerry's show and fighting off requests to host the show for six weeks. It's when the film cuts back and forth between a fancy restaurant and Rupert's mother's basement, with her yelling at him to shut up, that we realize how strange -- and yet how similar to all of us -- he really is. The film essentially flopped upon its release in 1983, bringing in only $2,500,000 on a $20,000,000 budget. It has yet to find a strong cult following such as films like "Austin Powers" that brought in little in theaters and lots on video. But any fan of Scorsese and De Niro's work will adore "The King of Comedy." And it's the only De Niro/Scorsese flick that can be recommended to families. As Rupert takes the stage at the end of the film, his entire dreams have been laid forth in front of him and he takes them by the throat. It is in that truly startling moment we've all been waiting for when we learn that Rupert is not only funny, but pretty darn talented. If the movie had used Rupert's life-long dreams as the butt end of a joke, if he had turned out to be an absolutely horrid comedian (which is what I honestly thought would happen), the film would have little effect. But as a filmgoer and critic, it ranks as one of the most surprising scenes I have ever laid eyes on.
Rating:
Summary: A Horror Movie
Review: De Niro and Bernhard are Rupert Pupkin and his friend Masha, obsessive fans of comedy TV star Jerry Langford played by Jerry Lewis. Their obsession takes somewhat different forms. Pupkin thinks he is a comic superstar in the making and all he must do to succeed is bring this to Langford's attention. Masha, on the other hand, has something romantic in mind... But both of them are obsessed to a point that is some distance beyond the threshold of insanity. The results are excruciatingly painful to watch as Pupkin haunts Langford's offices, is evicted by security, only to show up, a few days later on an impromptu visit at Langford's country house, with a date in tow... De Niro is excellent but for once he is upstaged by Sandra Bernhard's terrifyingly mad Masha. Lewis adds an interesting dimension by portraying Langford pretty unsympathetically as a not particularly likeable guy. When Pupkin and Masha go to the extreme of kidnapping him, few people are likely to be wholeheartedly rooting for him to get away and thwart their plans. That gives the film a complexity lacking in the later de Niro movie "The Fan" which reprises the central theme of this in a far more simplistic, black and white way. This is a brilliant film, one of Scorsese's very best. But do I enjoy watching it? Well, I'm not at all sure that I do. The mistake may be to think of it as a black comedy. We're tempted to do so really only because comedy is its subject matter but there is very little about it that is funny. Better perhaps to classify it as a horror movie. That captures the sense in which we manage to find ourselves engaged by something which is, at certain levels, simply an ordeal to watch. If you don't believe me or think I'm just speaking metaphorically, check out the scene near the end where Sandra Bernhard sings "Come Rain or Come Shine" to a tied-up Jerry Lewis and ask yourself, in all honesty, if you can recall anything Linda Blair does in "The Exorcist" that is remotely as terrifying. I can't.
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