Overview
A darkly comedic exploration of obsession and the lengths one will go to achieve fame.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- sardonic
- uncomfortable
- paranoid
- late night viewing
- scorsese film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a prescient, disturbing, and darkly funny study of fame, obsession, and television culture, anchored by Robert De Niro's performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Rupert Pupkin stalks Jerry Langford and interprets minimal professional contact as a relationship that should guarantee him a television opportunity.
Pupkin defines himself through the imagined status of a television comedian and pursues the spotlight as proof of personal worth.
The film frames Pupkin's increasingly intrusive behavior and the talk-show world's evasions through darkly comic but disturbing situations.
Pupkin's fantasies, staged encounters, and media ambitions create uncertainty about how fully his imagined success aligns with the world around him.
Films like The King of Comedy, and why
Network
shared black comedy, media satire, corrosive ambition, and an unsettling portrait of fame-seeking delusion
Taxi Driver
shared new york crime drama, alienated obsessive protagonist, bleak humor, and psychological instability
Being There
shared show business satire, uncomfortable celebrity obsession, and comic treatment of social desperation
To Die For
shared parasocial fixation, darkly comic crime, and protagonists whose fantasies collide with public performance
Movie Details
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Release Date
- 1982-12-18
- Runtime
- 109 min
- Rating
- 7.8 / 10 (2676)
Cast
- Robert De Niro
- Jerry Lewis
- Diahnne Abbott
- Sandra Bernhard
- Shelley Hack
- Frederick de Cordova
- Ed Herlihy
- Lou Brown
- Loretta Tupper
- Peter Potulski
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The King of Comedy about?
- A delusional aspiring comedian turns celebrity worship into a dangerous bid for a place in the television spotlight.
- What is The King of Comedy like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The King of Comedy as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The King of Comedy violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The King of Comedy as mild.
- What did critics think of The King of Comedy?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a prescient, disturbing, and darkly funny study of fame, obsession, and television culture, anchored by Robert De Niro's performance.
- Which films are like The King of Comedy?
- Films with a similar feel include Network, Taxi Driver, Being There, and To Die For.
- How long is The King of Comedy?
- The King of Comedy runs 109 minutes.
- Where can I watch The King of Comedy?
- In United States, The King of Comedy is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home.
