Thursday, July 1, 2010

The King of Comedy

Starring Robert DeNiro and Jerry Lewis

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Release Date: January 1, 1983

A twisted, slanted look at celebrities, their obsessive fans, and everyone wanting their own "15 minutes of fame". This sharp, black comedy, directed by Martin Scorsese, takes us in to the sad, lonely world of Rupert Pupkin (played to cheerful optimism by Robert De Niro); Rupert lives in a dumpy basement, is constantly being ignored by others, and only has two constant devotions in his life: toward Jerry Langford and his successful, late-night show and a goal to being the "king of comedy" by appearing on Langford's show. After helping Langford avoid an obsessive fan (played with dizzying devotion by Sandra Bernhard), Rupert thinks he now has an "in" with the late-night host and are now best friends in his own dillusions. Most definitely ahead of its time, The King of Comedy is a fantastic black comedy about one man's ignorance of anything but his own imaginations and hero-worship of a talk show host.

Rating: * * * * * of 5

Click here to buy The King of Comedy

No comments: