everything you have heard about this movie is true.

disgusting, overrated, pointless

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Maybe it's the title that throws people off. Or De Nero's inept attempts at stand-up. Or that Scorcese's film provides Jerry Lewis with his best role in decades, maybe ever. Whatever it is that makes people look for something funny in this movie, they're bound to be disappointed. Because this film is a character study of a sociopath and his accomplice, and how the dumbed-down culture whose fringes they inhabit is so devoid of critical thought that they accept De Niro's shtick as laugh-worthy.This is Scorcese's most passionate and searing film, more terrifying than Taxi Driver because of the banality of its protagonist's evil. Rupert Pupkin is every bit as crazy and narcissistic as Travis Bickle. And like Taxi Driver, the commission of a very public act near the end of this film turns outcast into hero. The glorification of Pupkin in this film and Bickle in Taxi Driver reflects the whims of a society that has lost its way, seduced by consumerism and celebrity. And there's nothing funny about that.

Much like Rupert Pupkin steadily working his way into Jerry Langford's life, The King of Comedy is making its way up my personal Scorsese list. It's study of loneliness, fantasy, and celebrity is so acute and palpable, with De Niro giving one of his best performances in a career full of best performances. As unsettling as it is hilarious, and that final comedy act…it's just everything.

Robert De Niro's performance as an obsessed fan (a role he would later return to, albeit in a darker, more murderous fashion, in THE FAN) shines through in this unusual Martin Scorsese comedy-cum-drama which shares elements with TAXI DRIVER. THE KING OF COMEDY is undoubtedly a brilliant film which was misunderstood and shunned by most audiences on first release (later even by Scorsese himself), which resulted in it being a flop. This is a shame for a number of reasons.First of all, the acting is top-notch. Method man De Niro shines as the lowly Rupert Pupkin, creating a truly memorable character when he converses in his bedroom with cardboard cut-outs and imagines himself as a television great. On top of this there's a fine "straight man" role from Jerry Lewis, the object of Pupkin's growing obsession, and the two get to share some fine moments - particularly when Pupkin breaks into Lewis' country mansion later in the film. Female support comes from an understated Diahnne Abbott as Pupkin's love interest, and Sandra Bernhard as a fellow mentally unstable fan whose role is alternatively funny and rather tragic. A seasoned troupe of veteran performers largely play themselves and add to the movie's realism.Scenes in which Pupkin tries to infiltrate Langford's offices and finds himself repeatedly shunned are a delight to watch, and both dramatic and pretty funny with it. The twist ending, in which Pupkin achieves his fame IN SPITE of everything that has happened, will leave you scratching your head and wondering if this is another dream-fantasy from Pupkin's mind or whether it really did happen. In any case, the pairing of two talented men - Scorsese as director and De Niro as star - once again makes for unmissable entertainment, a film which you can't take your eyes off the screen when watching. A totally unique cross between black comedy and psychological drama, this both scary and funny, a feat often difficult to achieve, and I don't know of any other movie quite like it out there.

The film cleverly shows us societies pathetic obsession with the media and the celebrity and strips it down and condemns it to fallacy. Rupert Pupkin is hilarious at times- as a comedian and in real life- in his appearance, his bumbling harmlessness and not so convincing act as a threatening kidnapper, whilst at other times he seems quite unnerving- his obsessions and his fantasy world we are left to construe are slightly discomforting. Jerry Lewis is dynamite as the old crettenous chat-show host who hates the world around him. One of the best stylistic devices in this film are the trips we take into Rupert's mind: a place where he regularly meets Jerry Langford, gets told how brilliant his material is, and is told to spend the weekend at Langford's country house. It is this huge difference between the fantasy world in Rupert's head and the reality of his life (he's lonely, an egotist, he still lives with his mother, his friends are mainly autograph hunters and to top it off, he's actually not that funny), it is these things that make you realize about half way through the film that the man is insane.This is one of those rare movies which make you laugh as well as make you uncomfortable; in its own way it is probably a more unsettling film than Taxi Driver because you never know how you are meant to react as a viewer; various parts of the film blur the line between reality and fantasy, and the ending is extremely ambiguous.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.