The King of Comedy

Synopsis

Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro) is a failed stand-up comedian in his own reality, but a superstar in his own mind. Living in his mother’s basement and performing for cardboard cutouts, Rupert is convinced that a single appearance on The Jerry Langford Show is all he needs to achieve his destiny. After a chance encounter with the weary, late-night host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis), Rupert interprets a polite brush-off as a personal invitation to stardom.

When the TV network's gatekeepers continue to reject him, Rupert’s persistence turns into a dangerous obsession. Aided by a fellow unhinged superfan named Masha (Sandra Bernhard), he hatches a desperate and absurd plan to kidnap Langford. His ransom? The opening monologue on that night's broadcast. It is a high-stakes gamble on the philosophy that it is "better to be king for a night than a schmuck for a lifetime."