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The King of Comedy

1982

Martin Scorsese

Jerry Lewis, Robert De Niro, Sandra Bernhard, Diahnne Abbott ...

7.1

12,032

Comedy Rupert Pupkin is obsessed with becoming a comedy great. However, when he confronts his idol, talk show host Jerry Langford, with a plea to perform on the Jerry's show, he is only given the run-around. He does not give up, however, but persists in stalking Jerry until he gets what he wants. Eventually he must team up with his psychotic Langford-obsessed friend Masha to kidnap the talk show host in hopes of finally getting to perform his stand-up routine. [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"One of the most arid, painful, wounded movies I've ever seen (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United Kingdom	Philip Horne Telegraph	"A disturbing picture of a world in which television is taken for a "reality" higher than everyday life"	POS
United States	Gary Arnold The Washington Post	"A severely misconceived and distasteful study of delusional behavior"	NEG
United States	Vincent Canby The New York Times	"It's very funny, and it ends on a high note that was, for me, both a total surprise and completely satisfying. Yet it's also bristly, sometimes manic to the edge of lunacy and, along the way, terrifying."	POS
United States	Richard Brody The New Yorker	"Scorsese infuses this tale with the passionate energy of New York street life and an outsider's wonder at the powerful workings of show business and studio craft."	POS
United States	Time Out	"Creepiest movie of the year in every sense, and one of the best"	POS

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