DVD Review: King of Comedy, The (A)

King of Comedy, The (1983)
Directed by Martin Scorcese
Starring Robert Deniro, Sandra Bernhard and Jerry Lewis
MPAA: PG
Grade: A

Review by Scott Standish

When released back in 1983, The King Of Comedy received rather negative critical response, in fact People Magazine named it their Flop Of The Year. But time has served this dark comedy well and like all classics the subtle nuances of each actor's performance seem to come out with repeated viewings. This is a film that people need to take another look at, it's perhaps one of the most underrated comedies of our time.

Robert Deniro stars as Rupert Pupkin, a nerdish wanna-be comedian that still lives at home with his mom in New Jersey. He is a total geek, a complete loser, but at the same time, he has total confidence in himself. He is obsessed with late night talk show host Jerry Langford (played by Jerry Lewis) and wants to follow in his footsteps. Rupert and his equally Langford obsessed friend Masha (Sandra Bernhard) have structured their lives in a way that enables them both to flat out stalk the comedian. Their favorite past time is standing outside of building entrances just to get a glimpse of Jerry.

Masha's intentions are purely sexual, she wants to be Langford's lover, while Rupert's intentions are a bit more complex. He wants Jerry to be his mentor and ultimately, Rupert's goal is to take over Jerry's role as the King of Comedy. Like most stalkers, Rupert and Masha have fantasies starring themselves with their adored, but in this case, the lines begin to blur. Rupert starts to believe the imaginary conversations he has in his head with Jerry. When he attempts to get onto the Jerry Langford show and is rejected by a staff member, he doesn't seem to lose a step, he simply plots to kidnap Jerry. Hey, whatever works, right?

This all sounds very dark and yes this is a very dark film especially for a comedy. But Robert Deniro's characterization of Rupert Pupkin is so silly and so naive, that at times it is quite hilarious. Scorcese let Bernhard go completely crazy with her role of Masha and her acting work here is brilliant. At one point, she runs down the New York City street wearing nothing but her bra, panties and high heels, screaming "Jerry! Jerry!".

The King of Comedy came out before wackos were regularly stalking tv hosts, and certainly before people started breaking into David Letterman's house on a weekly basis. It also came out before the insane hype of celebrity (both for legitimate stars and for stalker criminals) became so fast moving across all media markets. In that respect it is quite ahead of its time.

The performances by Deniro, Bernhard, and Jerry Lewis (okay, okay, I admit I am "one of those critics" that thinks Jerry Lewis is under appreciated) are first rate. Reportedly a good chunk of some key scenes were totally improvised by the stars, making this all the more over the top. As time passes on certain comedies begin to age like fine wine and become timeless for both their humor and their political relevance: Network is one. King Of Comedy is certainly another.

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