History Film / TheKingOfComedy

* LoserProtagonist: Rupert, however, he deserved most of the misfortunes due to him being a PsychopathicManchild LoonyFan who harasses Jerry and his co-workers.

* BasementDweller: Rupert Pupkin has converted his mother's basement into a makeshift talk show set with life-size cutouts of his favorites and good sound equipment to recreate and project himself into the life he wants. He's also a nerdy loser who mooches off his mother, and lives in a fantasy.

* UngratefulBastard: Rupert is this to the core. Rather than throwing him out of his limo, Jerry allows Rupert to ride with him uninvited and gives him some sensible advice on how to proceed with his career. Ms. Long (Jerry's assistant) takes the time to listen to Rupert's tape and provide him with some constructive criticism, but Rupert won't hear any of it, he just wants instant fame. In addition, the network executives who in other films would be presented as bad guys are patient and even a little too polite in dealing with Rupert. Rupert's return for this kindness and courtesy is to kidnap Jerry and hijack the show for his own ego.

* SmallNameBigEgo: Rupert Pupkin, who never tires of correcting people when they [[AccidentalMisnaming get his name wrong]].

* UngratefulBastard: Rupert is this to the core. While Jerry gives him advice on how to proceed in his career and take his craft seriously, all he is interested in is the fame. The network executives who in other films would be presented as bad guys are patient and even a little too polite in dealing with Rupert (for example, Ms. Long - Jerry's assistant - takes the time to listen to Rupert's tape and provide constructive criticism). Rupert's return for this kindness is to kidnap Jerry and hijack the show for his own ego.

* UngratefulBastard: Rupert is this to the core. While Jerry gives him advice on how to proceed in his career and take his craft seriously, all he is interested in is the fame. The network executives who in other films would be presented as bad guys are patient and even a little too polite in dealing with Rupert. Rupert's return for this kindness is to kidnap Jerry and hijack the show for his own ego.

* AccidentalMisnaming: The staff at the TV studio get Rupert's name wrong in many different and creative ways.

* TheCameo: Members of Music/TheClash are seen walking around Times Square. Comic pianist Creator/VictorBorge and Dr. Joyce Brothers turn up in Rupert's fantasy of marrying Rita on Jerry's show. And Tony Randall fills in for Jerry while the latter is being held hostage.
** Martin Scorsese, meanwhile, has a CreatorCameo as the Langford show's director. This was made possible by Lewis assisting with the direction when Scorcese had suddenly realised he knew nothing about TV studio set-ups.

* GroupieBrigade: The film opens with Jerry Langford confronting a mob of screaming fans (including Marsha) and getting "rescued" by Rupert.

* AntiHero: Rupert falls somewhere between this and a VillainProtagonist.

* OneDialogueTwoConversations: Practically every single time Rupert interacts with someone else is an example of one. Rupert only hears what he wants to hear and twists everything anyone else says to fit his view of reality.

* GiftedlyBad: Rupert's act is unoriginal and mediocre at best, but his timing is excellent and his enthusiasm and ambition is boundless.

* VillainousAromanticAsexual: Played with. Rupert does fantasize about marrying Rita, but this seems more about the status of having a pretty girl around for show than any actual romantic or sexual interest in her or anybody else. Notably, Rupert doesn't accept Rita's (grudging) offer to come up to her apartment after their date, nor do sexual conquests of any kind figure into his very active fantasy world.

* BlackComedy: The satire and humor of the film center around a delusional and obsessive man (and even more mentally unstable young woman) stalking and eventually kidnapping a celebrity.

* BlackComedy: The satire and humor of the film center around a mentally ill man (and even more mentally unstable young woman) stalking and eventually kidnapping a celebrity.

* BlackComedy

* ThisLoserIsYou: At his core, Rupert isn't much different from millions of other people who are obsessed with fame and celebrity, he simply takes this obsession to more dangerous extremes than most. The fact that he isn't so different from "normal" people obsessed with celebrity is shown by the behavior of autograph hounds and random individuals like the old lady in the phone booth.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Rupert looks down on Masha for being an obsessed StalkerWithACrush whose relationship with Jerry only exists in her mind, completely missing the fact that description applies as much to himself as it does to her (except from the crush part).

The film was the first from Creator/RegencyEnterprises, and was distributed theatrically by future part-owner Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox. It is the only film from the Embassy International Era that Regency outright owns worldwide, and one of three (the others being ''Film/{{Brazil}}'' and ''Film/{{Legend}}'') to which Regency has full international rights.

* BittersweetEnding: From a meta standpoint, at least. A closing montage reveals that Rupert's dream of stardom actually seems to come true -- after serving a two-year suspended sentence at a mental institution, he publishes his autobiography (which becomes a bestseller and is planned to be turned into a "major motion picture") and acquires a manager/agent with more offers in the pipeline -- but at the cost of having played hell with Langford's and several other people's lives. And that's assuming the whole thing isn't just [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness another of Rupert's insane fantasies]] playing out.

* AwardBaitSong: "Wonderful Remark" by Music/VanMorrison, which is the song that plays as the credits roll. It was actually a song Morrison had first written and recorded in 1973 but never released. When his old pal [[Music/TheBand Robbie Robertson]] asked him to contribute to the soundtrack, Morrison dusted it off and he and Robertson worked up a new, more dramatic arrangement so it could fill this slot.

* BittersweetEnding: From a meta standpoint, at least. A closing montage reveals that Rupert's dream of stardom actually seems to come true -- after serving a two-year suspended sentence at a mental institution, he publishes his autobiography (which becomes a bestseller and is planned to be turned into a "major motion picture") and acquires a manager/agent with more offers in the pipeline -- but at the cost of playing hell with Langford's and several other people's lives. And that's assuming the whole thing isn't just [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness another of Rupert's insane fantasies]] playing out.

* BittersweetEnding: From a meta standpoint, at least. A closing montage reveals that Rupert's dream of stardom actually seems to come true -- after serving a two-year suspended sentence at a mental institution, he publishes his autobiography (which becomes a bestseller and is planned to be turned into a "major motion picture") and acquires a manager/agent with more offers in the pipeline -- but at the cost of playing hell with Langford's and several other people's lives. And that's assuming the whole thing isn't just [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness another of Rupert's insane fantasies]] we're seeing.

* BittersweetEnding: From a meta standpoint, at least. A closing montage reveals that Rupert's dream of stardom actually seems to come true -- after serving a two-year suspended sentence at a mental institution, he publishes his autobiography (which becomes a bestseller and is planned to be turned into a "major motion picture") and acquires a manager/agent with more offers in the pipeline -- but at the cost of playing hell with Langford's and several other people's lives. And that's assuming the whole thing isn't [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness just another of Rupert's insane fantasies]] we're seeing.

* DiegeticSoundtrackUsage: Music/RayCharles's version of the standard "Come Rain or Come Shine" is sung by Masha to Jerry.

* TheDeterminator: Even after being repeatedly told to leave the show studio, Rupert keeps coming back, having to be escorted out by security the first time and dragged out the second.