The King of Comedy
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Movie Reviews of The King of Comedy
Movie Review: The most scary monster can sometimes be an obsessed person
Summary: 5 Stars
History has shown it, Hitchcock knew it and in this movie Scorsese, Lewis & DeNiro proves it.Movie Review: Good One
Summary: 5 Stars
Me like movie. Me like man in movie. He funny. Me hope that me see movie seven more times.Movie Review: Taxi Driver Light!!! It's Still Yummy!!!
Summary: 4 Stars
Ever since I saw Martin Scorsese's TAXI DRIVER I've had a problem getting into cabs especially in New York City. I always find myself asking, "Could Travis Bickle be driving me around?" What a scary thought. That fear has lingered into my adult hood. Now thanks to Mr. Scorsese I'm afraid of stand-up comics. Stop scaring me.The King of Comedy tells the story of Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro, Flawless). Pupkin is a man with a dream, to become the newest King of Comedy. He will stop at nothing to get on the hottest late night talk show "The Jerry Langford Show" and after many months of trying he finally forces a meeting between him and the host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis, Funny Bones).
After the meeting Rupert thinks he's made a new friend. Too bad Jerry doesn't realize that. So Rupert begins to stalk Jerry, showing up at his office, and out his summer home. Then Rupert gets fed up with Jerry's games and decides to kidnap him. Will this get him a shot on the Jerry Langford show? That's up to you to find out.
THE KING OF COMEDY is Taxi Driver light. Rupert Pupkin is disturbed but not dangerous. This works really well, because it gives you an under dog to root for, even if the ends don't justify the means. But aren't all of us a little star struck. Don't we all at one time or another look up and see some hack on television, or a Michael Bay movie and say "Hey I Can Do That?" I think well all have a little Rupert Pupkin in us.
De Niro makes Pupkin come alive. Rupert Pupkin is a really annoying guy. He's the kind of guy who attacks famous people with banal chitchat. If I were famous I'd want to steer clear of a guy like this. I would assume De Niro has had exposure to people like this and that's why he can channel a character like this. It's a strong performance with subtle wit and amazing presence.
I especially liked the scene outside Jerry Apartment Building where Rupert doesn't want to stop talking to Jerry and Jerry just wants to get away from this nut. I loved the urgency in Rupert's voice like if he were to stop talking this night would end and that can't happen. It's almost a letdown when Jerry walks into his apartment. The mind game over. It's a shame.
Another bright spot in this film is an actress I usually have very little faith in Sandra Bernhard (Hudson Hawk). She plays Masha, another one of Jerry Langford's obsessive fans, and Rupert's partner in crime. There is a sequence in which she tries to seduce Jerry; it's a performance that is both painful and silly, and really astonishing. I was impressed.
THE KING OF COMEDY is a lot of fun. It's also quite painful, and beautiful at the same time. Director Scorsese does a bang up job, even going as far as inviting the likes of Dr. Joyce Brothers and Tony Randall in as guest stars. Offering us that little spark of reality. What a great movie THE KING OF COMEDY is.
Why not give it a try yourself.
****1/2 (out of 5)
Movie Review: King of Cinema: Marty!
Summary: 4 Stars
This is one of the great "lost" Martin Scorsese films; it has not and will not gain the attention that his more violent (but just as brilliant) epics have drawn, which really says more about audiences and critics than Scorsese. People complain about Scorsese's penchant for bloodshed, but they ignore the fact that very few of his films deal directly with organized crime, and they also deprive themselves of appreciating his versatility, on display in gems like "King of Comedy." The film came out in 1983, a troubled and expensive production that disappointed many who were looking for a follow-up to 1980's "Raging Bull." "King" is uneven in its pacing and script, especially after the kidnapping takes place. Rupert Pupkin is not one of the great Scorsese protagonists and DeNiro struggles with the role a bit. The compelling performance belongs to Jerry Lewis, who is a revelation here: subtle, barely controlled, and finally sympathetic--how could he manage that, you ask? Well, DeNiro and Scorsese had something to do with it, but watch the scene in which Jerry explains the pressures of his life to Rupert after being kidnapped and then tell me that Lewis didn't reach down into his own soul for that one. The fantasy scenes with Rupert, Jerry, and Diahnne Abbott (once married to DeNiro, and sultry gorgeous--a beautiful movie actress who doesn't buy into starvation images) are disturbing yet funny. Sandra Bernhard: after Lewis, the best acting here, charismatic, vulnerable, volatile and finally beautiful, too. Scorsese keeps his thrilling camera and editing moves in check here and proves himself to be a great director of actors. The film was widely perceived as a bitter commentary on how fame and infamy had changed Scorsese's life--some blamed him for creating situations that led to the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan, when John Hinckley, obsessed by Jodie Foster in Scorsese's "Taxi Driver," followed his obsession to an ugly end.Now, after the passage of 20 years, we can return to the film without that baggage and enjoy it for showing us yet another side of the artistry of Scorsese.
Movie Review: "Do You Have an Appointment, Mr. Pumpkin?"
Summary: 4 Stars
You know the old Warhol quote that "everyone in the world, will eventually get their 15 minutes of fame"? In this 1983 film "The King of Comedy", director, Martin Scorsese explores this ideal further by looking at our culture's obsession with celebrity.He does this through the character of Rupert Pubkin (passionately played by Robert De Niro).Rupert is a would be comedian, who has a dream bordering on psychosis of becoming famous on a Johnny Carson styled TV talk show, which features his idol, Jerry Langford (brilliantly played by show biz legend, Jerry Lewis). Rupert is convinced in his own mind, that the TV host is his best buddy and that he is just one "Jerry Langford Show" appearance away from becoming a superstar. He makes several creepy, yet comical visits to Langford's offices, where he is rejected and humiliated in his quest to get on the show. Frustrated, he and another obsessive stalker (played with wild sexual abandon by a young, Sandra Bernhard) put into motion an amateur kidnapping scheme, that will get Rupert on the show and the attention he craves.Martin Scorsese has created a brilliant and unusual film which is funny, yet leaves you uneasy. It asks us to look at some rather uncomfortable questions about our culture through it's bizarre and scary characters.Why do we worship fame and celebrity? What is the line between just being a fan and being a stalker? Will we one day all be famous? Over twenty years ago, this film flopped at the box office.Why, I'm not sure.Maby it was just ahead of it's time.But today, in this modern age of reality TV, the "King of Comedy" seems like it is more relevent and prophetic than ever.The DVD for the film is well put together. It features some interesting menus. Extras include a very short featurette on the movie(including interviews with Scorsese)and some trailers and deleted scenes.This is a thought provoking film, which will either leave you laughing or keep you up at night.You be the judge!