The King of Comedy [DVD] [1982]

Jerry Lewis steals it effortlessly

Purchased after watching Joaquim Phoenix’s absolute tour de force - Joker and feeling that there were strong influences from both this movie and Taxi Driver. It’s a high quality, chaotic, disturbing and funny experience

I had heard of this film many years ago and periodically since. As it was available on Amazon Prime Video, I watched the production.Without giving anything away, while the main part of the storyline was involving, some parts were, to me, something of a let-down. I've given 4 stars anyway, as my reservations might be entirely personal. It's worth a couple of hours of your time, anyway!

Really a great film

I bought this film for an university assignment and although admittedly I picked it for unsophisticated reasons (it contained the word 'Comedy' in the title which made it sound a helluva lot more cheery than one of the other options: 'Misery') I must say I'm glad that I did.De Niro turns in a fantastic performance. His Rupert Pupkin is both endearing yet simultaneously a bit too clingy. He has a worthy adversary in Jerry Langford, a character to who I am sure Lewis can relate - in fact, he even directed one of the extras in a sequence that mirrored an incident from his own life (for all you trivia fans, its the bit where the old lady approaches him on the street). However Lewis' suggestion that Pupkin should end up killed failed to materialise thus providing viewers with one of the most ambiguous endings since... well... Scorsese's last picture Taxi Driver.This film that satires our obsession with celebrities, perfectly captures people's desire to get their fifteen minutes of fame and culminates in De Niro performing a five minute stand-up routine. What more could you want from a film?

I have seen most of Scorsese's films but for some reason this always eluded me... In terms of a character study and a film that blends fiction and reality masterfully in days gone when audiences did not require absolution, this film is in my humble opinion, magical. It's such a simple narrative, but masterfully cast, directed and acted. I love so many of Scorsese's films, but I think this might have jumped straight to the front of the line. It's definitely up there!

Ahead of its time whilst reflecting the times in which it was made, as sinister and malevolent as any of Martin Scorsese's darker characters. But Rupert Pupkin, the 'weakling' within the triplets - Travis Bickle & Jake La Motto- is the only one of the three who achieves his dream without the interference of an internal journey. In loafers, powder blue and canary yellow he is the most disarming of the all of Scorsese's characters yet the most able. Pumpkin is the man that everyone should have in their corner, he has the single mindedness to achieve the impossible-by fair means or foul- without the smile ever slipping from his face. Visionary and understated. A lesson in how a film is an organic process, punching far above its own weight and outstripping much bigger budget films by a country mile. The King is in the building, all hail the King!

This is one of scorsese's finest, yet one of his most underrated films to date. Unlike the rest of his films at this period, he transistoned from his Dark Deniro thrillers and dramas ( like Raging bull and Taxi Driver) and made this, a dark comedy thriller. I believe this and 'Hugo' are his only PG rated films, yet unlike the other iw ould not classify this as a kids film...This is a film of desperation, crippiling ambition and the dark reality of new york life. The cast is spectaculer with Jerry Lewis playing De Niro's hero/enemy, of Whom Deniro wants to become.I would rate this film a solid 10/10 and the DVD itself was clean and in great condition, and the extras offered a lot of insight into what was really going on on set and the intentions of the crew when making this opus.