This is a wonderful film that anyone who's ever gotten a bit of a cold shoulder from a celebrity would like. Martin Scorsese uses remarkable degrees of tension as his paintbrush, making the emotions felt by Robert DeNiro's character so extreme, that you literally wince with anxiety when he oversteps his boundaries over and over again.
Essentially, this movie looks at how to be successful in show business without really trying. Rupert Pupkin is an obsessive fan who's not only obsessed with Jerry Langford, the Carson-like host of his eponymous television show, but obsessed with getting a little fame himself. He doesn't want to waste time honing his bits at small clubs and working his way up, he just wants to do his act (the act which he's done a million times in the privacy of his own room and he believes to be solid) on The Jerry Langford Show as soon as possible. And so, with the help of fellow obsessor Sandra Bernhard, he kidnaps Langford in an effort to secure a spot, however fleeting, in national spotlights.
Although found in the DRAMA section, "The King Of Comedy" is one of the damndest comedies I've ever seen. Rupert Pupkin's life, his habits, his desires, are all extremely funny. Because while some people might nod off during lunch to the fantasy of meeting a celebrity, Rupert takes his anxious wishes to action, going to ridiculous measures to make sure his rather intricate fantasy world (the fantasy world where he's a bigger star than Jerry, and he hangs out with Jerry on the weekends, etc.) doesn't come undone by the actual and very blunt rejection from Mr. Langford himself. Rupert just won't listen to anything anyone has to say unless it facilitates into re-affirming his fantasies. And it's this stubborn insanity/dedication that makes Pupkin (often misspelled and mispronounced) one of the great characters.
This film is tight, fitting in as many angles of the nooks and crannies of Rupert Pupkin's crazy, crazy mind as possible with it's allotted running time. Scorsese doesn't fuss with doing anything extra to get his point across; he knows what is needed and he accomplishes it.
Keep this in mind to rent next time you go to video store if you haven't seen it.
Essentially, this movie looks at how to be successful in show business without really trying. Rupert Pupkin is an obsessive fan who's not only obsessed with Jerry Langford, the Carson-like host of his eponymous television show, but obsessed with getting a little fame himself. He doesn't want to waste time honing his bits at small clubs and working his way up, he just wants to do his act (the act which he's done a million times in the privacy of his own room and he believes to be solid) on The Jerry Langford Show as soon as possible. And so, with the help of fellow obsessor Sandra Bernhard, he kidnaps Langford in an effort to secure a spot, however fleeting, in national spotlights.
Although found in the DRAMA section, "The King Of Comedy" is one of the damndest comedies I've ever seen. Rupert Pupkin's life, his habits, his desires, are all extremely funny. Because while some people might nod off during lunch to the fantasy of meeting a celebrity, Rupert takes his anxious wishes to action, going to ridiculous measures to make sure his rather intricate fantasy world (the fantasy world where he's a bigger star than Jerry, and he hangs out with Jerry on the weekends, etc.) doesn't come undone by the actual and very blunt rejection from Mr. Langford himself. Rupert just won't listen to anything anyone has to say unless it facilitates into re-affirming his fantasies. And it's this stubborn insanity/dedication that makes Pupkin (often misspelled and mispronounced) one of the great characters.
This film is tight, fitting in as many angles of the nooks and crannies of Rupert Pupkin's crazy, crazy mind as possible with it's allotted running time. Scorsese doesn't fuss with doing anything extra to get his point across; he knows what is needed and he accomplishes it.
Keep this in mind to rent next time you go to video store if you haven't seen it.