Film

The King of Comedy

Name: The King of Comedy
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: 1982
Cast: Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Diahnne Abbott, Sandra Bernhard, Shelley Hack

Scorsese and De Niro take the buddy-comedy setup — awkward dreamer, reluctant mentor — and let it curdle into something genuinely unsettling. Rupert Pupkin's fantasy of stand-up stardom is played completely straight, laughed at by everyone in the film but him, and the film never tells you how to feel about that. It's a comedy that makes you wince more than laugh, about a man who has confused confidence with talent.

TMDb rating

7.8

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