4. The King of Comedy
Robert De Niro provides arguably his finest performance ever in Martin Scorsese's story of obsession, celebrity, and the pursuit of fame. Released in 1983, De Niro plays Rupert Pupkin, a pathetic loner who lives in his mothers basement in New York where he spends endless hours dreaming of being a television comedian. Ruperts hero is Jerry Langford, a prestigious comedian who hosts his own show, and provides the benchmark for which Rupert so desperately wants to make. T hough the aspiring funny man considers himself to be in the same league as Langford, no one else seems to agree, as a few vital factors stand in Ruperts way: 1. He is socially inept 2. He dresses in suits that resemble exotic fruits, and 3. He has never performed in front of a live audience. However, upon a planned encounter with Langford, Rupert is offered the chance to send in a few tapes to the comedians office after badgering him persistently. When Rupert grows impatient and discovers that Langfords offer of kindness was, in fact, insincere, he takes the rejection rather badly and his determination to be recognized takes a disturbing turn. This film was received with mixed reviews, some of them highly complementary of Scorsese's vision, while others found the picture to be to unsettling, deeming it unmarketable and unappealing to the masses. It is certainly, very close to the bone and psychologically piercing, but it covers the contemporary world of celebrity with a profundity that has been scarcely matched by other films. Though Raging Bull and Taxi Driver may be the highly acclaimed, more recognizable collaborations between Scorsese and his original muse, The King of Comedy sifts through equally, if not more graphic cerebral and social matters, all the while being played out by Pupkins ridiculous, frequently hilarious custom. Box office figures from the year of its release do not do it justice, and if it had been released today it would have surely achieved critical success amongst a society that has developed a thicker skin. It is, without question, unmissable.