The King Of Comedy

The Kng Of Comedy is one of the many films that combine the brilliance of Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese, but surprisingly flopped at the box office upon its release in late 1982. Since then though, opinions have changed, and it has been considered by some to be Scorsese’s best film - a very bold statement. After hearing all this I was excited to see what this film had to offer and was looking forward to another trip down to Cinema City.

The King Of Comedy takes place in a wonderful New York setting, and is all about an aspiring comedian named Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro) who is determined to get his spot on idol Jerry Langford’s popular show. Rupert Pupkin is by far one of the most interesting protagonists I have seen in a film and is helped by how brilliantly De Niro plays his role. He is slightly psychopathic with his obsession with Jerry Langford and has real difficulty in accepting no for an answer, and who can forget his interesting wardrobe options. Rupert goes to extreme lengths to fulfil his dream of getting his short stint on The Jerry Langford Show, and does eventually see his dream come true. This is when we get to see his act and watch the ‘masterpiece’ that he’s spent so many years practising and see if his extreme efforts have been worth it. Jerry Lewis, who plays Jerry Langford, also does a fantastic job throughout the film, playing the character that is so idolised by Rupert and other obsessive friend Masha (Sandra Bernhard). Although the soundtrack is short but sweet it works very effectively throughout with some great songs that fit the feel of the film really well, from Ray Charles, Van Morrison and Frank Sinatra.