TMBTMB
TMBTMB

Track, discover and find where to watch TV shows and movies.

Discover

  • Movies
  • TV Shows
  • Browse
  • Topics

Account

  • Watchlist
  • Watched
  • Ratings

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Content Policy

© 2026 Movie Browser. All rights reserved.

Data provided by TMDB

Home
Browse
Watchlist
backdrop
backdrop
logo
De Niro's most unhinged performance started with this chaos — and Scorsese almost didn't survive it.
TMDB
90

A Shot at the Top: The Making of 'The King of Comedy' (2002)

meta-obsessive1980s time capsulecult cinephile catnip

Overview

Documentary

Documentary about the making of Martin Scorsese's story of a man willing to go to any length for a shot at fame.

Flag of USUS
Content warning

Standout Aspects

Acting

De Niro's method madness — he actually stalked his own co-star.

Direction

Scorsese's raw honesty about his own near-breakdown on set.

Best for:Solo: YouTube rabbit hole at 2am, feeling like Rupert Pupkin yourself.·Rewatch: After King of Comedy, obviously. Double the delusion, double the fun.
S

Director

Stephen Altobello

ReleasedDec 17, 2002
Runtime19m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacefast
Intensitymedium
Tonemixed
Feelmedium
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Top Cast

Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese

Self

Sandra Bernhard

Sandra Bernhard

Self

Diahnne Abbott

Diahnne Abbott

Self (archive footage)

Joyce Brothers

Joyce Brothers

Self (archive footage)

Kim Chan

Kim Chan

Self (archive footage)

Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro

Self (archive footage)

Shelley Hack

Shelley Hack

Self (archive footage)

Jay Julien

Jay Julien

Self (archive footage)

Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis

Self (archive footage)

Ralph Monaco

Ralph Monaco

Self (archive footage)

Catherine Scorsese

Catherine Scorsese

Self (archive footage)

Cathy Scorsese

Cathy Scorsese

Self (archive footage)

Ask about A Shot at the Top: The Making of 'The King of Comedy'

Opens AI chat

Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Trivia

De Niro spent actual months driving a cab and performing stand-up in character, bombing on purpose at real clubs.

Cultural

This flopped in 1983 but predicted reality TV, influencer culture, and the Joker phenomenon — Scorsese basically time-traveled.

Reviews

No ratings yet

Start the discussionBe the first to post — spoiler-safe
Rate & reviewBe the first to weigh in

Recommended

The Class of ‘92 movie poster (2013)
7.1

The Class of ‘92

American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince movie poster (1978)
6.7

American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince

Directed by John Ford movie poster (1971)
7.0

Directed by John Ford

Public Speaking movie poster (2011)
7.0

Public Speaking

Lionel Messi: Destiny movie poster (2023)
7.8

Lionel Messi: Destiny

Sherman's March movie poster (1985)
6.7

Sherman's March

Seduced and Abandoned movie poster (2013)
6.2

Seduced and Abandoned

Finders Keepers movie poster (2015)
6.5

Finders Keepers

As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty movie poster (2000)
7.7

As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty

Aquaman: Heroines of Atlantis movie poster (2019)
6.2

Aquaman: Heroines of Atlantis

I Am Heath Ledger movie poster (2017)
7.4

I Am Heath Ledger

Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 movie poster (2022)
7.2

Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20

The Summers of It - Chapter Two: It Ends movie poster (2019)
7.1

The Summers of It - Chapter Two: It Ends

Drew: The Man Behind the Poster movie poster (2013)
7.0

Drew: The Man Behind the Poster

McQueen movie poster (2018)
7.5

McQueen

Discussion

Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.

Discussion starters

View all comments →