Review of The King of Comedy (1982) by Al M — 01 Dec 2010

Pretty good for the most part. An amusing film with rock solid performances from De Niro and Lewis, De Niro who plays a nut job comedian wannabe who will go to any lengths to obtain his big break. The build up is terrific with a shot/counter shot, reality/fantasy structure that reminded me of Belle de Jour, one of Scorsese's faves so not exactly a stretch.

Yet there is a certain element to the film that feels a little in soft focus, which is the "social commentary" if you will, that while not untrue still doesn't make for an extraordinarily satisfying ending, which seems almost a little too obvious from someone of Scorsese's caliber.

I liked it and liked it a lot, but only fell in love with it when the film stuck to De Niro's entirely crazy character, literally, and Jerry Lewis.