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 to fully realize the character being portrayed. He is praised for his commitment to roles; he gained 60 lb (27 kg) and learned how to box for his role as Jake LaMotta in "Raging Bull", ground his teeth down for "Cape Fear", lived in Sicily for "The Godfather Part II", worked as a cab driver for a few weeks for "Taxi Driver", and learned to play the saxophone for "New York, New York". He again put on weight for his performance as Al Capone in "The Untouchables". De Niro's brand of acting includes employing whatever extreme tactic he feels is