The King of Laughter

Released Nov 25, 2022

2h 13m

Biography

Drama

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The King of Laughter: Trailer 1

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67%

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9 Reviews

44%

Audience Score

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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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

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

Roger Moore

Movie Nation

The bright bits make one believe there’s a brisk, pointed and poignant movie in this — one that clocks in a good 30 minutes shorter than this “King” demands.

Rated: 2/4

Dec 9, 2022

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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

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Mario Martone

Director

Toni Servillo

Actor

Maria Nazionale

Actor

Cristiana Dell'Anna

Actor

Antonia Truppo

Actor

Eduardo Scarpetta

Actor

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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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