The King of Comedy
The film follows Rupert Pupkin in his attempt to achieve success in show business by kidnapping a famous comedian and talk show host and demand a slot for Rupert in the victim's show as ransom.
26 February 1920, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
6 May 1906, Marblehead, Ohio, USA
16 April 1912, New York City, New York, USA
16 September 1940, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
16 October 1924, New York City, New York, USA
10 January 1956, London, England, UK
5 September 1932, Brooklyn, New York, USA
March 21, 2017
Scorsese movie about the perils of fame has mature themes.October 19, 2014
...remains a high-water mark in terms of De Niro's onscreen work...December 18, 2015
The King of Comedy fancies itself a scathing social satire about the lust for celebrity carried to extremes. But ultimately, director Martin Scorsese's movie is a severely misconceived and distasteful study of delusional behavior.April 09, 2014
I'm going to side with the dissenters this time. I can see where it might be perceived as a dark comedy, but that label doesn't absolve it from an overarching sense that Scorsese didn't push this one far enough.March 31, 2008
The uncenteredness of the film is irritating, though it's irritating in an ambitious, risk-taking way.June 21, 2016
Brilliantly keeps viewers unmoored, the result of its consistently off-kilter tone.March 31, 2008
To be sure, Robert De Niro turns in another virtuoso performance for Martin Scorsese, just as in their four previous efforts. But once again -- and even more so -- they come up with a character that it's hard to spend time with.January 25, 2010
It is frustrating to watch, unpleasant to remember, and, in its own way, quite effective.June 24, 2016
The tone it establishes is challenging, because there are funny scenes and situations which could easily be played for laughs, but that black cloud of tension and danger hangs over all of them, and Scorsese won't give you that release.June 27, 2016
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.April 18, 2014
A disturbing picture of a world in which television is taken for a "reality" higher than everyday life, it's also darkly funny.