Robert De Niro’s manic and sincerely nutso turn as Rupert Pupkin is easily one of his best and most overlooked performances.
Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro) desperately wants to be a stand-up comedian. He’s never performed for an audience, however. He prefers to hone his act in his mother’s basement. After an encounter with talk show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis,) Rupert becomes increasingly delusional about his chances of breaking into show business. He shows up unannounced at Langford’s office, expecting to be recognized. When he is politely rebuffed — time and time again — Rupert gets more desperate. Egged on by Masha (Sandra Bernhard), another mentally unstable Jerry Langford fan, Rupert’s tactics get a bit more aggressive when he plots to kidnap Langford in exchange for an appearance on his show.
The King of Comedy is a deep dive into the effect celebrity status and the pursuit of fame can have on society. Through Rupert’s gradual transformation from autograph hunter into the self-styled “King of Comedy”, we see that his fantasies place far more emphasis on being known, recognized, and ego-stroked than they do about putting in the work to achieve success. Although the featured celebrities of the early 80s might not be recognizable to younger audiences, I think the film’s core message resonates more now than when it was released.
Directed by Martin Scorsese, the movie is a combination of dark comedic elements, unnerving suspense, and tremendous acting from all involved. Robert De Niro’s manic and sincerely nutso turn as Rupert Pupkin is easily one of his best and most overlooked performances. There’s a feeling that Rupert’s creepily optimistic exterior hides a darker, more malevolent personality that could emerge at any moment. This gives his scenes with Jerry Lewis and Diahnne Abbott, who portrays his unwilling “queen”, a tense, almost menacing atmosphere even as he smiles the entire time. Even when Rupert is alone in his basement, yelling at his mother for interrupting his daydreams, you’re never sure if he’ll go completely off the rails.
Jerry Lewis surprises with his solid outing as Jerry Langford. There’s great chemistry in the scenes he shares with De Niro and Bernhard, especially a scene involving a phone conversation with his producer. Everything clicks perfectly.
As much as I enjoyed the movie, it’s one that likely will make some people uncomfortable. There are no likable characters and, while it’s humorous, it’s not laugh out loud funny. It’s very easy to miss the point by going in with preconceived notions about what it should be or should happen. The ending can be interpreted a number of different ways and is sure to frustrate some people. Personally, that’s one of the many things I enjoyed about The King of Comedy. It will stick with you long after you’ve watched it.
4.5 out of 5.0 stars
