Review of The King of Comedy (1982) by Wesley H — 17 Sep 2009

Brilliant. Creepy. Pitiful. Disturbing. Just as unnerving as Martin Scorsese's masterpeice "Taxi Driver". And its rated PG! Directer Martin Scorsese and stars Robert DeNiro, Jerry Lewis and Sandra Bernhard really go out on a limb with this and do things major name actors probably shouldn't be doing if they want to stay major name actors. This is such a distinctly different role for DeNiro to be doing that it comes off as shocking and proves he really is (was) a method actor with really good taste. This is what brilliant film making looks like. In the hands of a lesser director this would just have been another "The Cable Guy" and focused more on the gags and laughs. But this movie doesn't try to put a funny layer over what these mentally unstable people are doing. Jerry Lewis portrays a character completely different than what he was known for in the 1960's. His character here is rumored to be what he is really like in real life ("I hope you get cancer!" yells a fan when asking him for an autograph and is rejected) and yet he is ultimately the sanest person in the movie! Scorsese doesn't look down upoin these people so much as he just observes them. I was aghast at what DeNiros Robert Pumpkin was willing to do to get his point across and also cringing at the fact that he always seemed one step away from donning a mohawk and going medieval on everyone. And then there is Sandra Bernhard. The most deranged and hilarious character in the movie.

(Spoiler Alert).

What did she expect after helping kidnap Jerry Lewis and tying him up and hold him at gun point and trying to make with him sexually.

So if you want to see a movie that is more than just giant space robots and is true to its characters and story see this movie.

Accessable? no. Brilliant? yes.

This is one of my favorite movies.