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The King of Laughter

Play trailer 1:55 Poster for The King of Laughter Released Nov 25, 2022 2h 13m Biography Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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75% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 44% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Naples, 1904: Eduardo Scarpetta risked everything by staging a parody of the great Italian poet, Gabriele D'Annunzio. Despite legal troubles and familial strife, Scarpetta fought for his legacy as one of the greats of Italian theater.
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The King of Laughter

Critics Reviews

View All (8) Critics Reviews
Anna Smith Deadline Hollywood Daily Figuring out the exact nature of all their relationships has a certain fascination, but it's not exactly entertaining. The dialogue feels mannered and Scarpetta's actions are so selfish and pompous they become irritating. Sep 13, 2021 Full Review Lovia Gyarkye The Hollywood Reporter It's a dazzling and technically brilliant feat, the work of an ambitious, experienced and passionate director. Sep 10, 2021 Full Review Guy Lodge Variety Commits without compromise to its driving conceit: that Scarpetta's personal life was as wildly expressive and uninhibited as his stage presence, to the extent that they're not all that differently presented on-screen. Sep 10, 2021 Full Review Alejandro Lingenti La Nación (Argentina) Toni Servillo embodies this complex character, deploying a great variety of resources: he is funny, intriguing, seductive, or gloomy as each moment of the story demands. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 3/5 Dec 27, 2023 Full Review Diego Batlle Otroscines.com A film of these characteristics may be of greater interest to Italians or those very initiated into its history. For the rest... we'll have to cope in the best way possible with Servillo's buffoonish and hammy delivery. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 2.5/5 Dec 20, 2023 Full Review Jennie Kermode Eye for Film Servillo has spent much of the latter part of his career playing narcissistic characters, and he’s perfectly cast here. Rated: 3/5 Nov 28, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (3) audience reviews
Claudio V Un grande biopic che mostra la superlativa dote creativa di un genio partenopeo ma al contempo tutti i suoi difetti come uomo/marito/padre. Spettacolare Tony Servillo e rivelazione Eduardo Scarpetta. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/05/24 Full Review Daniel Q How can I hear about it Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/14/23 Full Review Chris J MOVIE REVIEW The King of Laughter (Qui rido io) – Genre: Biography, Drama Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 2h 13m Director(s): Mario Martone Writer(s): Mario Martone, Ippolita Di Majo Cast: Toni Servillo, Maria Mazionale, Cristiana Dell'Anna, Antonia Truppo, Eduardo Scarpetta, Roberto De Francesco, Lino Musella, Paolo Pierobon Language: Italian w/English Subtitles Where To Watch: premiering on VOD & digital platforms on November 25, 2022 RAVING REVIEW: Expectations are one of the biggest curses of a film critic like myself. You see a film with this title and imagery to go along, and then when you view the film, the experience is entirely different. While I don't think I would say I didn't enjoy this, I was somewhat cursed with the idea of the film being a different experience. I was expecting something similar to 1984s AMADEUS and got a much different version of a "comedy" than I expected. That isn't a slight against the film but a slight against myself and a lesson to sit back and experience the film instead of guessing what it will be. I've always taken pride in writing my reviews for an average audience. At the same time, I'll occasionally veer off track and talk about things in a way that isn't as easily digestible; I try to keep my reviews welcoming to all. A lot could be said about this film-watching experience, mainly because of the artistic eye of the director. In a nutshell, though, the film felt as high-brow as the theatrical experience it was telling us about. Ironically this is billed as a drama, but the period the film takes place in allows for some comedy to be mixed in as well; it's just not as in-your-face as I was expecting. You would think with a title like this that, you would be laughing quite a bit, but the clown-like experiences are more sophisticated than I was expecting. It's interesting to see this story unfold in such a surreal manner; at no point was I ever bored with the displays on the screen. You had picturesque sets and fantastic costumes that made you feel like you were there experiencing the story yourself. For more reviews and my YouTube channel, please visit linktr.ee/Overlyhonestmoviereviews Follow me on Instagram, Letterboxd, Twitter, and YouTube. Find my social media accounts on most platforms simply by searching Overly Honest Movie Reviews. I'm always happy to hear from my readers; please say hi or send me any questions about all things movies. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/28/22 Full Review Read all reviews
The King of Laughter

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Movie Info

Synopsis Naples, 1904: Eduardo Scarpetta risked everything by staging a parody of the great Italian poet, Gabriele D'Annunzio. Despite legal troubles and familial strife, Scarpetta fought for his legacy as one of the greats of Italian theater.
Director
Mario Martone
Screenwriter
Mario Martone, Ippolita Di Majo, Mario Martone, Ippolita Di Majo
Distributor
Film Movement
Production Co
Indigo Film, RAI Cinema
Genre
Biography, Drama
Original Language
Italian
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 25, 2022, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 25, 2022
Runtime
2h 13m
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