The first time I saw this dark comedy-drama was on one of my rare free sundays when I put on the telly out of complete boredom. I was planning on watching some MTV, but they had some lame-ass weekendbreak I didnt want to see.
So in my zapping adventure I turned on channel 4 (RTL4) and there it was: the king of comedy, halfway through, just one hour to go untill the end. Never heard of it, didnt even knew the name till I looked it op on teletext and had no clue it was a Scorsese film. But I saw de Niro and thought to myself, this cant be wrong. I was chained to the television - well, not from the start - till the end. Such grim comedy, such gripping story and sometimes emberrassing. Later I watched it completely and then once more, and one more..
The king of comedy belongs in the group of Scorsese films that are fairly obscure and hardly thought of as the type of movie Scorsese would make.
De Niro, only maybe ten movies shy of spending an entire career on gangsters, tough guys, and troubled borderline madmen, delivers a wonderful performance as Rupert Pupkin, a troubled man, criminal and troubled in his own eccentric ways, but in such a way that's cleverly funny.
Rupert Pumpkin wants to be the king of comedy and would do anything to achieve this title. You could compare this film with 'Taxi Driver', both films are about men who have nothing, and will do anything to get what they want. I believe Rupert could be more dangerous than Travis. Rupert wants success, and he will do anything to get it. And in this darkly funny film we watch, sympathize and laugh with Rupert Pumpkin, who wants to be so much more then he was. He wants to be the king of comedy!
I can recommend this movie to all of you. I really do!
