The King of Comedy

Martin Scorsese's satirical comedy/drama caustically explores the lengths to which a nobody will go to be as famous as his idol. Practicing his patter in his basement with cardboard cut-outs of his favorite celebrities, mediocre aspiring comedian Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro) believes that one ...more

Despite favorable reviews and good business in a few big cities, The King of Comedy died at the box office; but this uneasily humorous examination of the bizarre relationship between stardom and fandom looks more disturbingly current with each passing year. Martin Scorsese reins in the technical verve of his prior work, so that The King of Comedy's bright, flat lighting and simple editing mimic the look of television, the film's subject; visual flourishes are saved for Rupert's fantasies, ...more