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The King of Comedy poster

Movies that feel likeThe King of Comedy (1982)

Aspiring comic Rupert Pupkin attempts to achieve success in show business by stalking his idol, a late night talk-show host who craves his own privacy.

If you loved The King of Comedy, the closest films we have are My Favorite Year (1982), Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) and Being There (1979). All three share The King of Comedy's witty and playful feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Real Life (1979).

πŸ… 89% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Martin Scorsesecontemplativewittyplayful
5 of 12 streaming nowAmazon Prime Video Β· Paramount Plus Premium Β· TCM

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See it on the Mood Map

If The King of Comedy hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: The King (2019)

My Favorite Year poster
My Favorite Year
1982 Β· dir. Richard Benjamin
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7.3comedy Β· drama

The same city underneath both: New York City

Fledgling comic Benjy Stone can't believe his luck when his childhood hero, the swashbuckling matinee idol Alan Swann, gets booked to appear on the variety show he writes for. But when Swann arrives, he fails to live up to his silver screen image. Instead, he's a drunken womanizer who suffers from stage fright. Benjy is assigned to look after him before the show, and it's all he can do to keep his former idol from going completely off the rails.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles poster
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
1987 Β· dir. John Hughes
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.6comedyParamount+

One thread runs through both: receptionist

The difference: Takes it somewhere less contemplative than The King of Comedy does

An irritable marketing executive, Neal Page, is heading home to Chicago for Thanksgiving when a number of delays force him to travel with a well meaning but overbearing shower curtain ring salesman, Del Griffith.

Being There poster
Being There
1979 Β· dir. Hal Ashby
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.9comedy Β· drama

Contemplative where it counts, witty underneath

A simple-minded gardener named Chance has spent all his life in the Washington D.C. house of an old man. When the man dies, Chance is put out on the street with no knowledge of the world except what he has learned from television.

After Hours poster
After Hours
1985 Β· dir. Martin Scorsese
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.6comedy Β· thriller Β· drama

Both are Martin Scorsese's work, and they rhyme

The difference: Leans harder into thriller than The King of Comedy does

Desperate to escape his mind-numbing routine, uptown Manhattan office worker Paul Hackett ventures downtown for a hookup with a mystery woman.

French Fried Vacation 2 poster
French Fried Vacation 2
1979 Β· dir. Patrice Leconte
β˜… 7.4comedy

Playful comedy, and it commits to that

In this sequel to Les Bronzes (1978) summer has passed, but that doesn't mean the fun has to end for Bernard, Nathalie, Gigi, Jerome, Popeye, Jean-Claude, and Christiane.

PlayTime poster
PlayTime
1967 Β· dir. Jacques Tati
πŸ… 98%β˜… 7.8comedy

Both keep coming back to the same thing: hilarious

Clumsy Monsieur Hulot finds himself perplexed by the intimidating complexity of a gadget-filled Paris. He attempts to meet with a business contact but soon becomes lost. His roundabout journey parallels that of an American tourist, and as they weave through the inventive urban environment, they intermittently meet, developing an interest in one another. They eventually get together at a chaotic restaurant, along with several other quirky characters.

Animal House poster
Animal House
1978 Β· dir. John Landis
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7.4comedy

Drama built on wit, twice over

At a 1962 College, Dean Vernon Wormer is determined to expel the entire Delta Tau Chi Fraternity, but those troublemakers have other plans for him.

Real Life poster
Real Life
1979 Β· dir. Albert Brooks
πŸ… 84%β˜… 7comedyRent or buy

Comedy with a pulse of play, in both cases

A pushy, narcissistic filmmaker persuades a Phoenix family to let him and his crew film their everyday lives, in the manner of the ground-breaking PBS series "An American Family".

Smoke poster
Smoke
1995 Β· dir. Wayne Wang
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7.4comedy Β· drama

Both lean on stillness more than on drama

Writer Paul Benjamin is nearly hit by a bus when he leaves Auggie Wren's smoke shop. Stranger Rashid Cole saves his life, and soon middle-aged Paul tells homeless Rashid that he wouldn't mind a short-term housemate. Still grieving over his wife's murder, Paul is moved by both Rashid's quest to reconnect with his father and Auggie's discovery that a woman who might be his daughter is about to give birth.

Used Cars poster
Used Cars
1980 Β· dir. Robert Zemeckis
πŸ… 77%β˜… 6.7comedyPrime Video

Witty comedy in both cases

When the owner of a struggling used car lot is killed, it's up to the lot's hot-shot salesman to save the property from falling into the hands of the owner's ruthless brother and used-car rival.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation poster
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
1989 Β· dir. Jeremiah S. Chechik
πŸ… 72%β˜… 7.5comedy

Drama with a pulse of play, in both cases

It's Christmastime, and the Griswolds are preparing for a family seasonal celebration. But things never run smoothly for Clark, his wife Ellen, and their two kids. Clark's continual bad luck is worsened by his obnoxious family guests, but he manages to keep going, knowing that his Christmas bonus is due soon.

All About My Mother poster
All About My Mother
1999 Β· dir. Pedro AlmodΓ³var
πŸ… 98%β˜… 7.8comedy Β· drama

Both run contemplative where it counts

Following the tragic death of her teenage son, Manuela travels from Madrid to Barcelona in an attempt to contact the long-estranged father the boy never knew. She reunites with an old friend, an outspoken transgender sex worker, and befriends a troubled actress and a pregnant, HIV-positive nun.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share The King of Comedy’s defining feeling.