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 a previous relationship. They divorced in 1988. De Niro has twin sons, Julian and Aaron, conceived by "in vitro" fertilization and delivered by a surrogate mother in 1995, from a long relationship with former model Toukie Smith. In 1997, De Niro married his second wife, actress Grace Hightower. Their son Elliot was born in 1998 and the couple split in 1999. The divorce was never finalized and in 2004 they renewed their vows. In December 2011, a daughter named Helen Grace was born via surrogate. In addition to his six children, De Niro has four grandchildren; his daughter Drena has