The King of ComedyWhen people aren't satisfied with themselves, some submit to the delusion that life would be better if they were somebody else--like someone famous. The King of Comedy is the story of the insecure Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro), who idolizes the late night talk show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis), and is among the throng of fans who swarm his back door every night after his performance. Jerry tolerates him long enough to avoid throwing him out of his car, but Rupert gets the (wrong) idea that Jerry's going to "put in a word for him" and give him his break in comedy. Rupert takes this infinitesimal grain of hope and blows it up into his sole focus in life, leading him on an insane escalation of celebrity worship.
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Directed by Martin Scorsese, The King of Comedy shares some similarities with Taxi Driver; both films feature obsessively driven protagonists--with both played by De Niro--who are convinced that if their convictions are strong enough, they can rewrite the fundamental rules that make up society. Both men see themselves as the "hero" of their own adventures, but often end up endangering others in their self-deception. Rupert fantasizes about his future in comedy after his fateful car ride with Jerry, even carrying on imaginary conversations with the charismatic entertainer in his basement. Rupert is rarely without his powder blue suit with its matching vest and white collar, looking like the celebrity he wishes to become--namely Jerry. He is so obsessed with it, that he pushes far beyond reasonable limits of decorum in his aggressive pursuit to get a demo tape to Jerry, annoying Jerry's secretary and blowing real any chance he may have had in the process. Jerry shares some important feedback with Rupert--real advice from an experienced professional. He tells him that no one starts at the top; they must start from the bottom and work their way up. Despite this, Rupert reveals his laziness and lack of confidence by making excuses instead--he claims that he's "too old" at thirty-four to wait around to become discovered, and persists that he needs Jerry's clout to cut to the front of the proverbial line. Regardless of Rupert's potential as a comedian, he pursues comedy for the wrong reasons. Rupert wants to become famous for its own sake, believing that by "making it", all of his other real-world problems will vanish. It's clear that Rupert is lonely; his only "friend" is a fellow autograph hound named Masha (Sandra Bernhard), and the two bicker while comparing "evidence" of how close one of them is to Jerry over the other. Both Rupert and Masha end up working together to achieve their respective dreams of leeching off of Jerry's celebrity status. It's obvious that Masha comes from money, and Rupert is not above exploiting this. Masha hands him fists full of cash after he claims that he'll deliver a "letter" to Jerry on her behalf when he sees him, even though Rupert has as little of a chance of making that promise a reality as she does.
Rupert spends all his evenings in his basement, which is made up to resemble a talk show stage, complete with cardboard cutouts of Jerry Langford and Liza Minnelli. In Rupert's fantasies, Jerry begs for him to take over the show for an extended period of time; Rupert's ego is so over-inflated, that he is making his proclaimed mentor grovel in his dreams. Rupert uses his fantasies to mask his unresolved feelings of frustration and disappointment. Since Rupert is wildly unreliable about himself, the only plausible clue about his past comes in the form of a bartender named Rita (Diahnne Abbott), who Rupert has had a crush on since high school. When Rupert reunites with her--rose in hand--to then ask her out on a date, she implies that he hasn't changed since school. He practically forces his autograph book onto her as he builds up to the most prominent signature--which is, of course, his own--and pushes for her to keep it, even though it makes her visibly annoyed. He claims that he has an "in" with Jerry, and shamelessly invites her to Jerry's upstate house for the weekend--never mind that Jerry never actually invited Rupert, who only imagined that he did. Even though Rupert's anxiety and shyness is endearing at first--even for Rita--he quickly wears out his welcome because he absolutely refuses to accept reality. What makes Rupert Pupkin such an uncomfortable protagonist is that he is thoroughly entitled, and believes that just because he wishes for something hard enough, he should have it--it's the same with spoiled children. (Like he says, "a guy can get anything he wants so long as he pays the price".)
There are a few scenes in The King of Comedy devoted to Jerry coping with the rigors of being a celebrity, while trying to live a reasonably normal life. He comes home to his swanky apartment--occupied exclusively by his Pekingese--to eat his dinner while catching a scene from Pickup on South Street on the TV, forced to leave his receiver off the hook after enduring invasive phone calls by Masha. As he walks down the streets of Manhattan, cab drivers cheer him on; a persistent fan cusses him out after he autographs her copy of Time magazine, but informs her he doesn't have time to chat with the person she's talking to on the phone. There is a classy humility to Jerry that Rupert lacks--the sign of someone who accepts that he is like everyone else, just more visible. It seems like a foregone conclusion by the time that Rupert and Masha kidnap Jerry, given how unrelenting Rupert is to appear on Jerry's show--he even unimaginatively and foolishly makes this his ransom. Even though Rupert claims that his wish is to get on TV and deliver his routine in front of millions of viewers like Jerry, it's more likely that he wants to be Jerry--famous and loved. Masha believes that she can attain a measure of fame by making Jerry desire her, leading to a truly absurd attempt at seduction while he is cocooned in white duct tape. When Rupert delivers his demands to the producers of Jerry's show, they surprisingly accept his demands, considering it a cheap trade off to ensure Jerry's safety. (Seems like a dangerous precedent; imagine all manner of felonious guest comics who could get their big break by kidnapping David Letterman.) Rupert's monologue checks all of the late night talk show comedy beats, even if it is filled with self-deprecating humor. Rupert authenticity is always in question; he claims that his mother has been dead for nine years, even though his "rehearsals" at home keep her up at night. In his routine, he references events that suggest an abusive and confused childhood; and yet it's equally possible that all of these "jokes" are just fabrications that he exploits to drive the audience's reaction.
Rupert's unscrupulous methods to achieve his dream paints him as a bit of a sociopath. As dubious as his methods are, the ending of The King of Comedy teases that Rupert Pupkin does achieve his dreams of becoming a "household name" following his criminal (and public) abduction of Jerry Langford. He achieves a brand of celebrity infamy found in the likes of Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian--spinning an unsavory event through calculated marketing for personal gain. The question about Rupert's sanity--like in Taxi Driver--is revisited at the end, regarding the validity of his "dream coming true". Rupert's fantasies take on the form of a television broadcast, where he marries Rita on the air--in a ceremony officiated by his former high school principal no less. Ultimately, it's just as likely that it is not the success Rupert craves that follows Rupert's kidnapping, but yet another tantalizing dream to keep himself warm with behind bars. If it is true, then The King of Comedy is taking a more sardonic position about the public consumption of entertainment and celebrity worship for its own sake--which is not unreasonable considering the opening to the film, during which dozens of people assail Jerry just because he's on TV. Either way, The King of Comedy asks its audience to reflect on what fame means to us and how much of ourselves we're willing to compromise in its pursuit.
Recommended for: Fans of a dark comedy about the absurdity of celebrity worship, and the implied existential void that mania is trying to fill. The King of Comedy is a self-aware film that challenges the audience to accept a protagonist that is weak, dishonest, and selfish--someone "as human as the rest of us", and as Rupert puts it, "if not more so".
Rupert spends all his evenings in his basement, which is made up to resemble a talk show stage, complete with cardboard cutouts of Jerry Langford and Liza Minnelli. In Rupert's fantasies, Jerry begs for him to take over the show for an extended period of time; Rupert's ego is so over-inflated, that he is making his proclaimed mentor grovel in his dreams. Rupert uses his fantasies to mask his unresolved feelings of frustration and disappointment. Since Rupert is wildly unreliable about himself, the only plausible clue about his past comes in the form of a bartender named Rita (Diahnne Abbott), who Rupert has had a crush on since high school. When Rupert reunites with her--rose in hand--to then ask her out on a date, she implies that he hasn't changed since school. He practically forces his autograph book onto her as he builds up to the most prominent signature--which is, of course, his own--and pushes for her to keep it, even though it makes her visibly annoyed. He claims that he has an "in" with Jerry, and shamelessly invites her to Jerry's upstate house for the weekend--never mind that Jerry never actually invited Rupert, who only imagined that he did. Even though Rupert's anxiety and shyness is endearing at first--even for Rita--he quickly wears out his welcome because he absolutely refuses to accept reality. What makes Rupert Pupkin such an uncomfortable protagonist is that he is thoroughly entitled, and believes that just because he wishes for something hard enough, he should have it--it's the same with spoiled children. (Like he says, "a guy can get anything he wants so long as he pays the price".)
There are a few scenes in The King of Comedy devoted to Jerry coping with the rigors of being a celebrity, while trying to live a reasonably normal life. He comes home to his swanky apartment--occupied exclusively by his Pekingese--to eat his dinner while catching a scene from Pickup on South Street on the TV, forced to leave his receiver off the hook after enduring invasive phone calls by Masha. As he walks down the streets of Manhattan, cab drivers cheer him on; a persistent fan cusses him out after he autographs her copy of Time magazine, but informs her he doesn't have time to chat with the person she's talking to on the phone. There is a classy humility to Jerry that Rupert lacks--the sign of someone who accepts that he is like everyone else, just more visible. It seems like a foregone conclusion by the time that Rupert and Masha kidnap Jerry, given how unrelenting Rupert is to appear on Jerry's show--he even unimaginatively and foolishly makes this his ransom. Even though Rupert claims that his wish is to get on TV and deliver his routine in front of millions of viewers like Jerry, it's more likely that he wants to be Jerry--famous and loved. Masha believes that she can attain a measure of fame by making Jerry desire her, leading to a truly absurd attempt at seduction while he is cocooned in white duct tape. When Rupert delivers his demands to the producers of Jerry's show, they surprisingly accept his demands, considering it a cheap trade off to ensure Jerry's safety. (Seems like a dangerous precedent; imagine all manner of felonious guest comics who could get their big break by kidnapping David Letterman.) Rupert's monologue checks all of the late night talk show comedy beats, even if it is filled with self-deprecating humor. Rupert authenticity is always in question; he claims that his mother has been dead for nine years, even though his "rehearsals" at home keep her up at night. In his routine, he references events that suggest an abusive and confused childhood; and yet it's equally possible that all of these "jokes" are just fabrications that he exploits to drive the audience's reaction.
Rupert's unscrupulous methods to achieve his dream paints him as a bit of a sociopath. As dubious as his methods are, the ending of The King of Comedy teases that Rupert Pupkin does achieve his dreams of becoming a "household name" following his criminal (and public) abduction of Jerry Langford. He achieves a brand of celebrity infamy found in the likes of Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian--spinning an unsavory event through calculated marketing for personal gain. The question about Rupert's sanity--like in Taxi Driver--is revisited at the end, regarding the validity of his "dream coming true". Rupert's fantasies take on the form of a television broadcast, where he marries Rita on the air--in a ceremony officiated by his former high school principal no less. Ultimately, it's just as likely that it is not the success Rupert craves that follows Rupert's kidnapping, but yet another tantalizing dream to keep himself warm with behind bars. If it is true, then The King of Comedy is taking a more sardonic position about the public consumption of entertainment and celebrity worship for its own sake--which is not unreasonable considering the opening to the film, during which dozens of people assail Jerry just because he's on TV. Either way, The King of Comedy asks its audience to reflect on what fame means to us and how much of ourselves we're willing to compromise in its pursuit.
Recommended for: Fans of a dark comedy about the absurdity of celebrity worship, and the implied existential void that mania is trying to fill. The King of Comedy is a self-aware film that challenges the audience to accept a protagonist that is weak, dishonest, and selfish--someone "as human as the rest of us", and as Rupert puts it, "if not more so".