The King of Comedy (2002)

The King of Comedy (2002)
Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro) is a failure in life but a celebrity in his own mind, hosting an imaginary talk show in his mother's basement. When he meets actual talk show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis), he's convinced it will provide his big break, but Langford isn't interested in the would-be comedian. Undaunted, Pupkin effectively stalks Langford -- and when that doesn't...
Watch Online

Release Date: November 29th, 2002

DVD Release Date: December 17th, 2002

PG |1 hr 41 min

Plot Summary

Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro) is a failure in life but a celebrity in his own mind, hosting an imaginary talk show in his mother's basement. When he meets actual talk show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis), he's convinced it will provide his big break, but Langford isn't interested in the would-be comedian. Undaunted, Pupkin effectively stalks Langford -- and when that doesn't work, he kidnaps him, offering his release in exchange for a guest spot on Langford's show.

Cast: Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Sandra Bernhard, Diahnne Abbott, Shelley Hack, Tony Randall, Ed Herlihy, Lou Brown

Director: Martin Scorsese

Genres: Comedy drama

Production Co: Embassy International Pictures

Distributors: 20th Century Fox

Keywords: Offbeat, New York City, Rise, Amusing, Friend, Mother, 1980s, Quest, Underdog

Cast & Crew

view all

Featured News

View All

Marc Maron in Talks to Join Joaquin Phoenix Joker Flick

Robert De Niro in Talks for Joaquin Phoenix Joker Movie

Ratings & Reviews

75
Roger EbertChicago Sun-Times
The King of Comedy is not, you may already have guessed, a fun movie. It is also not a bad movie. It is frustrating to watch, unpleasant to remember, and, in its own way, quite effective. show more
88
Bill CosfordMiami Herald
Scorsese and Zimmerman seem to be building on Andy Warhol's proclamations about the nature of celebrity. What they've added is the sourness of it and the pointlessness, and their King of Comedy, for a while darkly funny, winds up being terribly sad. It's the most unpleasant fine film in years. [20 Mar 1983, p.L1]
100
The Telegraph
This film about the cult of celebrity in America strikes me as a uniquely intelligent ironic masterpiece – though, witty as it is, it isn’t a comedy, despite what the title and the casting of Jerry Lewis might lead you to expect. show more

See all critic reviews on metacritic.com

Similar Movies

Melvin and Howard

When luckless dreamer Melvin Dummar (Paul Le Mat) rescues a grizzled, half-dead man (Jason Robards) from the desert, he's skeptical of the man's claim that he's actually reclusive billionaire Howard H...

Stream Online

Big Fan

Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt), a parking-garage employee, is a huge fan of the New York Giants. He lives at home with his mother (Marcia Jean Kurtz) and spends much of his free time extolling the virtu...

Stream Online Watch Trailer

My Favorite Year

Fledgling comic Benjy Stone (Mark Linn-Baker) can't believe his luck when his childhood hero, the swashbuckling matinee idol Alan Swann (Peter O'Toole), gets booked to appear on the variety show he wr...

Stream Online