The King of Comedy

Better to be king for a night than schmuck for a lifetime.

How alarming it was to watch 1983's THE KING OF COMEDY again in this age of social media and YouTube.  Of reality television.  These things did not exist when Vernon Zimmerman wrote his original screenplay back in the late 1960s.  Or when director Martin Scorsese filmed it over a decade later.   So it seems very ahead of its time.  But its examination of extremely maladjusted New Yorkers, anonymous and famous alike, is also as timeless as they come.

Aspiring comedian Rupert Pupkin (Robert DeNiro) has a singlemindedness - becoming famous.  He has few interests, aside from his encyclopedic knowledge of celebrities.  Not just their work, but the most trivial aspects of their lives.  A certain vicariousness, you could say.  Rupert lives in his mother's basement and is never seen going to a job.  He seems incapable of a "normal" existence.  But then, so does the current object of Rupert's obsession,  talk show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis), who seems virtually catatonic in his insular life as a celebrity.

Rupert is so taken with Langford that in addition to countless fantasies of the pair talking business over lunch and in meetings, he has a life sized cardboard cutout of him, and frequently pretends to be one of his guests (alongside of a cutout of Liza Minnelli). The film opens with a golden opportunity - outside the studio, Rupert shields Jerry from hordes of rabid fans, including Rupert's rather intense acquaintance named Masha (Sandra Bernhard) and even gets in the limo with him for a ride.  Rupert is left curbside with hasty recommendations to call Langford's secretary.  It's an obvious brushoff, but Rupert Pupkin instead sees this as his first step to a guest spot on the show.

One of the intriguing elements of THE KING OF COMEDY - for all of Rupert's unwillingness/inability to face reality - he nonetheless sounds like a more rational sort when Masha exhibits similar stalker behavior toward Langford. Perhaps Rupert is also unable to deal with himself, to see his behavior laid bare in another.  Perhaps an adult is trapped within? Or are his harsh words toward Masha simply reeking of low self esteem?

Rupert repeatedly makes efforts to contact Jerry by visiting his office and parking in the reception area.  He even crashes Jerry's country estate with would-be girlfriend Rita (Diahnne Abbott) in tow.  Each effort is spectacularly unsuccessful, but does not deter him.  More desperate measures follow.  We reach an eye opening finale that has been debated for years.

Some think it's a dream.  I think it's literal.  It certainly embodies the main points of Zimmerman's script.  If the events are only in Rupert's head, well, for all the quietly wicked points this film makes, THE KING OF COMEDY may just seem like a psychotic's mere flight of fancy.  The climax of the film is inevitable from that great freeze frame shot during the opening credits, as Rupert gazes through the limousine's window at someone trapped inside, hands pressed against the glass.

Scorsese's work here was described by some critics as unusually static and arid.  I disagree.  Minus the energetic dollies and zooms, the director still achieves an uncertain, nervous vibe with this picture.  I never once found it dull or uninteresting.

DeNiro is simply amazing.  I can't recall him every playing these notes elsewhere. His Rupert is all persistence.  He's frightening in how ingratiating he can be, even in the most uncomfortable of circumstances playing it all off like a minor inconvenience.  But it's an important skill for a celebrity, one Langford can portray in his sleep as he dares to walk Manhattan streets as fans whistle to him, including one lady who fawns over then turns on him in a New York minute.  Lewis is also quite good in his restraint; there is none of his yesteryear persona to be found.  He's stated that he just played himself, an aloof, possibly diffident individual who's learned the game and become comfortably numb.

The fan/celebrity relationship is perhaps best summarized by this exchange:

I'm gonna work 50 times harder, and I'm gonna be 50 times more famous than you!

Then you're gonna have idiots like you plaguing your life! 

R.I.P Jerry