Tales of the Obsessed: The King of Comedy

August 07, 2017 7:00PM - 9:00PM at Bear Vs Bull

THE KING OF COMEDY is playing at the New Mission Theater as part of our latest series TALES OF THE OBSESSED: Ingrid Goes West and The Movies That Inspired It.

"I love stories about outsiders -- intense, desperate or lonely people with their faces pressed against the glass, searching for a way in or some kind of real human connection. Like their protagonists, these films don't conform to society's standards; they're wild and unpredictable, sometimes dangerous or uncomfortable to watch, but always fascinating. When Aubrey Plaza and I were making Ingrid Goes West and looking for inspiration, these were the films we kept coming back to again and again for their fearless performances and mastery of tone. Thanks to the good people at Alamo Drafthouse for letting us share them with you. Enjoy!" — Matt Spicer, director of INGRID GOES WEST

To succeed as a comedian you don’t have to be funny - you just have to be a sociopath willing to kidnap whatever comedian you most admire. That's the idea behind Martin Scorsese's prescient cautionary tale about celebrity.

The salutary tale of an aspiring comedian who kidnaps his idol, Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis, playing close to type), in order to ensure a TV spot, THE KING OF COMEDY has more to say about the parlous state of modern celebrity culture than any other movie since FACE IN THE CROWD. As the borderline psychopath Rupert Pupkin, De Niro channels the most terrifying elements of Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle, his delusional (and supposedly humorous) "at home" monologues every bit as alarming as Bickle's oft-quoted "You talkin' to me?" tirade.

Perfectly pitched between satire and horror, THE KING OF COMEDY finds both its director and star working at the peak of their powers. This movie invented cringe comedy and almost all modern comedians owe it a giant debt of gratitude.

Tickets to THE KING OF COMEDY: https://drafthouse.com/sf/show/king-of-comedy

To learn more about TALES OF THE OBSESSED: https://drafthouse.com/event/tales-of-the-obsessed

To learn more about INGRID GOES WEST: http://ingridgoeswestfilm.com/

  View Event Website