On K List of Movie Reviews
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The King of Comedy (1982)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
4/18, 6/22
4/18:
Not really a comedy, The King of Comedy caught me by surprise because it's that good, reminding me of
Taxi Driver.
Sure, Robert De Niro plays an annoying character, but there's a purpose to what he does which will be revealed in the
long run. He's obsessed with illusions of fame just like Travis Bickle. In fact, both characters are almost exactly the
same: trouble when it comes to the separation of reality and fantasy.
To prepare for his role, Robert De Niro went after his autograph hunters and stalkers, hounding and asking them a
lot of questions. He even met with his longtime stalker to explore his mindset and asked him, "Why are you stalking me? What
do you want?" which were met with "To have dinner with you, have a drink, chat. My mom asked me to say hi."
That's a dedicated actor.
If there's anything I'm impressed with the most, it's Jerry Lewis' performance. I didn't realize who he was until after the
credits rolled. The way he behaved is professional. I like how Jerry Lewis' character handled his stalker, and I feel more
for him than anyone else.
All in all, I'll like to see The King of Comedy again since I wasn't initially expecting much.
6/22:
The King of Comedy is a disturbing film about celebrity stalkers.
You can hate his character all you want, but Robert De Niro gives a believable performance. Only the ending is unrealistic. It must
have been embarrassing for bartender Rita to be associated with him. On the other hand, Jerry Lewis and Sandra Bernhard aren't bad.
All in all, in many ways, The King of Comedy is an extension of Taxi Driver.