Reviews by:
@silverscreencritiques
RATE THIS MOVIE
6
5
4
3
The film follows Rupert Pupkin, a man trying to break into show business with no luck, and starts to take more drastic measures to achieve them.
In the opening shot as shown by the previous slide, we see people clamoring over a famous comedian/talk show host, and then freeze frames of hands being raised to him, implying that we worship celebrities, or at least hold them in high regard. The freeze-frame also has Robert De Niro's character in front of the raised hands, implying that he desires fame and to be loved.
Throughout the film, Rupert Pupkin tries and does whatever he can to make it as a comedian, to be a celebrity. Why he wants to is unclear. He also works with a woman named Masha who will do whatever it takes to meet her idol, Jerry Langford. De Niro's character constantly tries to talk to Jerry Langford and tries to get him to give him a shot at stand-up comedy, and doesn't take no for an answer. He constantly tries to get approval from his idol. He thinks he deserves to be famous and deserves to be adored by everyone but secretly needs approval from everyone.
Fame has mostly taken a different face in today's world. With the rise of social media and the internet in general, fame really seems more attainable and achievable today, with the likes of YouTube, Instagram, Tiktok, etc. I believe that many do have that desire to be famous, or at least gain a following and maybe become an Influencer of sorts. I know I certainly see some here on Instagram attempting to achieve that.
And also just like Masha, we still hold celebrities in high regards today. The internet has made celebrities more "Human" or "Down to Earth." So we feel like we actually know the person. Dare I say it? It seems like today you don't need to be skilled in anything to achieve fame. Nowadays you just have to have the personality on the internet to show the world.
Why do we desire fame? I believe it comes from our desire to be accepted and/or get the approval of people that were doing something right. Or we desire the life that may come with fame.
The ending of this film is very unclear. We don't know what is happening or even if it is happening at all. But I think it does show us something. It shows that we can also get fame by doing something extreme and having it on the news. The news does give him the attention that he desires, which everyone does read and/or watch. So everyone forms their own opinion of him and he may have achieved his dream by being extreme measures by being on the news. Robert De Niro's performance here is one of my favorites by him! This is also one of, if not my favorite film by Scorsese. If you haven't seen it yet, I do recommend it!
RATE THIS REVIEW
6
5
4
3
Commentaires