Review of The King of Comedy (1982) by Scot C — 16 Dec 2010

"Better to be king for a night than schmuck for a lifetime".

I'm so glad I finally watched this film, even though I wasnt sure what to expect because this movie hasnt had as much of a hype as many of Scorsese's other movies. I believe its up there with Scorsese's best, and I think I know why many were dissapointed by it, because this character Rupert Pitkin is also as somewhat mentally ill as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, and both played by the same actor. So maybe many of an audience saw too much of the same after the success of Taxi Driver. But in actual fact they're two different characters, and this film shouldnt be compared. Let me just say, that De Niro is on top of his game here, and its evident why not many actors at this time could come close to him. He's got a character that you admire for his persistence, his passion, but also a character that you feel sorry for, and very uncomfortable watching especially as his mental state becomes more evident. Its purely a character driven story, and thats all Scorsese needed to do, and that makes him a great director. Theres nothing glamerous about this film, its gritty, its by no means a comedy, its a dramatic observation of desperation and obsession that I suppose anyone of us can get to.