In a review for the Village Voice, J. Hoberman called The King of Comedy the “richest, most intelligent Hollywood movie of 1983. . . . Between them, Scorsese, Robert De Niro and screenwriter Paul Zimmerman have created an American archetype: Rupert Pupkin . . . the celebrity-crazed would-be standup comedian who attaches himself to TV talk-show host Jerry Lewis. . . . The King of Comedy is a meditation on American celebrity but—dealing as it does with rampant aggression, pure megalomania, visceral embarrassment and pathetic humiliation—it’s a good deal more disturbing.” Sandra Bernhard makes an indelible appearance as Pupkin’s partner in obsession.