The King of Comedy (film) Reagan administration in contrast to other films made during the administration's early years (although the script was written well before Reagan's election, and shooting began less than five months after Reagan took office). "At a time when the film world piles on simple-minded sentiment in thick gooey gobs, a picture like "The King of Comedy" appears a frontal assault. The triumph of the 'little guy' is revealed to be nothing more than lumpen neo-Fascist blood lust." Pauline Kael of "The New Yorker" was one of the critics who disliked the film, describing the character of Rupert Pupkin as "Jake LaMotta
Robert De Niro the 15th Moscow International Film Festival. He appeared in "This Boy's Life" (1993). Around this time, he was offered the role of Mitch Leary in "In the Line of Fire" (1993). However, due to scheduling conflicts with his directorial debut "A Bronx Tale" (1993), he gave up the role to John Malkovich, who later received an Academy Award nomination for it. In "A Bronx Tale", which De Niro agreed to direct after seeing the screenwriter's one-man off-Broadway play, he played a bus driver who struggles to keep his son away from a local mobster. At the 20th Moscow International Film