Review of The King of Comedy (1982) by Sean K — 31 Jan 2013

''Better to be king for a night than schmuck for a lifetime.'' - Rupert Pupkin.

This has to be Scorsese's most undervalued masterpiece. If you're a fan of the film maestro, then you owe it to yourself to see this movie. It's an excellent black comedy that satirizes our obsession with the celebrity lifestyle (whether it is wanting to be personally connected to them, like Sandra Bernhard's character, or the crazy things some people do in trying to become one, like De Niro's). It also has one of De Niro's finest performances too, he plays a more likable variation of the psychopath that was Travis Bickle (Scorsese named it as his favourite performance out of all their collaborations!) Supporting performances are all top-notch as well, especially the dramatic turn by Jerry Lewis, who pokes fun at his own image, and who I've noticed has taken a lot of stick for his slapstick works. An amazing OST, steady direction and great cinematography cap the lid on this gem of a movie. A must-not-miss, surely.