My dear Martin Scorsese, once again you prove in here why are you one of my favourites.

In The King of Comedy we follow Rupert Pupkin an obsessive fan of the very well known Jerry Langston a tv host and comedian that has a famous tv show. Rupert's daily life is all around Langston. He dreams about becoming one day like him. His goal is to be admired as a great comedian and he wants Langston to help him to get there.

The study of the character is amazing in here. Rupert is a lonely man, deep inside he is very sad, although he shows to be a very secure and happy man to everybody else. That's what makes this film into a fantastic masterpiece! Trying to understand certain behaviours of the human mind is not easy and nowadays the "celebrity obsession" is still present in our culture and there are people that are capable of doing anything for a moment of fame. But this is not in fact the main theme of this film. Deeper questions are related with it.

Without spoiling much there's one particular scene almost at the end of the film, Rupert's act at the tv talk show, that pretty sums up the whole film. Martin Scorsese was not only trying to show how the world of fame works but also, and most of all, what leads a man to a desperate situation. Troubled childhood and bad experiences in life may change some of the weakest minds and lead them into craziness.

When I was younger I used to watch a lot of Jerry Lewis films, both of my parents are big fans of him. His films are hilarious (I need to rewatch some of them btw). But the thing that most intrigued me was the fact that I already knew that Jerry Lewis would have a serious role in this film and not his usual comical tone that I already had seen. I was very curious about seeing this other side of him and I can say that he was great!
Some comedic actors turn out to be pretty great in dramatic roles. Jerry Lewis plays the arrogant scumbag that is tired of the spotlight. He is used to deal with a lot of guys like Rupert every day and treats his fans with disregard and he can't tolerate them.
Sandra Bernhard gives also a great psychotic performance as Masha, Rupert's friend that is also obsessed with Langston.

Martin Scorsese did a clever choice by choosing one of the most claimed comedy actors to play the role of a cynical comedy entertainer. But the guy who really shines in this film is Mr. Robert De Niro, what a magnificient performance! He perfectly portrays a person that is mentally unstable. Rupert lives in total isolation, he fantasizes all the time with situations at are real in his brain, he made himself believe in the lies that he created in his head.

No doubt, The King of Comedy is another masterpiece done by one of the finest man in the business.