The King of Comedy
The plot follows a lonely and detached aspiring comedian named Rupert Pupkin (played perfectly by Robert DeNiro) and his obsession with a desperate-for-privacy super star talk show host Jerry Langford (played by the equally impressive Jerry Lewis). The film has a very quirky, black comedy feel that touches on psychological themes such as obsession and child neglect.
The movie is broken up into two portions that seem to bleed together during the end; what Rupert Pupkin daydreams and fantasies over, and then what is actually taking place in the reality of the film. Some of his fantasies are aided by cardboard cutouts of famous movie stars, talking to them, as he sits in his room depicted as a talk show set. And other fantasies are completely fabricated conversations that take place between Jerry Langford and Rupert Pupkin that later spills out into reality.
This standalone feature is crafted perfectly by Martin Scorsese. He makes a powerfully engaging "comedy" that doesn't force laughter on its audience. Its a black comedy that doesn't tell the audience when to laugh, but rather shows us scenarios that could be depicted as comedic and gives us the option of laughing or taking it as a serious scene. The driest of any black comedy as I've ever seen.
The movie is broken up into two portions that seem to bleed together during the end; what Rupert Pupkin daydreams and fantasies over, and then what is actually taking place in the reality of the film. Some of his fantasies are aided by cardboard cutouts of famous movie stars, talking to them, as he sits in his room depicted as a talk show set. And other fantasies are completely fabricated conversations that take place between Jerry Langford and Rupert Pupkin that later spills out into reality.
This standalone feature is crafted perfectly by Martin Scorsese. He makes a powerfully engaging "comedy" that doesn't force laughter on its audience. Its a black comedy that doesn't tell the audience when to laugh, but rather shows us scenarios that could be depicted as comedic and gives us the option of laughing or taking it as a serious scene. The driest of any black comedy as I've ever seen.
Arguably, the most underrated piece in Scorsese's filmography. Overshadowed by bigger, more complicated films like Goodfellas or Raging Bull it was tainted after being deemed a box office failure due to it only grossing $2.5 Million of its $20 Million budget. But this movie has aged well with time and hails as containing one of the greatest performances in Jerry Lewis's career.
I urge anyone who is a fan of deep psychological comedies, as a minority as that may sound, to see this film. I guarantee it'll leave you satisfied.
I urge anyone who is a fan of deep psychological comedies, as a minority as that may sound, to see this film. I guarantee it'll leave you satisfied.
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