Neither funny enough to be an effective black comedy nor scary enough to capitalise on its thriller/horror elements.
2 Comments
03/31/08
The King of Comedy (1982)
92 %
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 38
Fresh: 35
Rotten:3
Average Rating: 8.3/10
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Martin Scorsese's THE KING OF COMEDY is a brutally funny depiction of the dangers of celebrity fandom. Robert De Niro plays the ridiculously inept Rupert Pupkin, an aspiring comic who idolizes talk-show host Jerry Langford (Jerry... [More]
Starring: Robert DeNiro, Jerry Lewis, Sandra Bernhard, Diahnne Abbott
Director: Martin Scorsese
DVD Info
Reviews for The King of Comedy
Top Critic
Worlds away from the bravura flash of other DeNiro-Scorsese collaborations, this underrated, claustrophobic, chilling satire is particularly prescient of today's celebrity-fixated society. A modern classic.
03/31/08
The uncenteredness of the film is irritating, though it's irritating in an ambitious, risk-taking way.
03/31/08
To be sure, Robert De Niro turns in another virtuoso performance for Martin Scorsese, just as in their four previous efforts. But once again -- and even more so -- they come up with a character that it's hard to spend time with.
03/31/08
Top Critic Fascinating drama with DeNiro as psycho, talk show wannabe, and Jerry Lewis giving great performance.
06/07/07
Much understood by critics in 1983, this is one of the most incisive (and scary) movies about the desperate desire to achieve fame in American society, increasingly dominated by shallow pop culture; De Niro, Jerry Lewis and Sandra Bernhard are terrific
02/22/07
One of the most disturbing, thought-provoking and funniest films of the 1980s. This underappreciated Scorsese great is more relevant today than ever.
10/21/05
This bizarre work is one of Martin Scorsese's greatest and most underrated films.
02/07/05
Takes an equally harsh look at the dark side of comedy, society’s value of success driving people to desperate acts, and the press’ bloodthirsty desire to sensationalize.
08/29/03
Latest News for The King of Comedy
April 02, 2008:
Total Recall: Shine a Light on Martin Scorsese
This week, Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones documentary Shine a Light hits theaters. We at Rotten Tomatoes have decided to highlight some of the lesser-known gems in the... More...
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