There’s that fantastic moment in King of Comedy [1983] when Rupert Pupkin [played by Robert De Niro] is delivering a speech, and there’s a laugh track, and you think he’s doing his routine to a filled-up auditorium, but it’s just this wallpapering of people.

The other Scorsese touchstone in Joker is 1983’s The King of Comedy, about an aspiring comic (De Niro) who fantasizes about becoming famous as a guest on a late night talk show. Like the Joker, De Niro’s Rupert Pupkin initially experiences delusions of appearing on his favorite TV show, then makes that dream into a reality. (Or perhaps he is driven so insane he can no longer distinguish between reality and fantasy.) More King of Comedy homages in Joker: Both characters rehearse their TV appearances alone in their houses, both use acts of violence to fulfill their dreams of stardom, both become celebrated by the public despite their immoral acts, and both still live with their mothers.

Question: What is your favorite movie of all time? JBatemn: "The King of Comedy" with Robert DeNiro, directed by Martin Scorcese.

I like The King of Comedy by Scorsese. I like that one. It makes me laugh a lot. I think it’s very funny.

Especially in the “After Hours” video, I went full-on film geek: There’s the “Chinatown” reference with the broken nose, the “Jacobs Ladder” reference with the subway, “King of Comedy” for Jimmy Kimmel, “Trouble Every Day,” “Possession,” “Dressed to Kill” with the elevator — and of course “After Hours,” Martin Scorsese’s [1985] film, is the obvious inspiration, with all this madness taking place in one night. That was the only on the nose reference — pun intended!

Saw this movie just to compare it to Joker and it ended up being my favorite Scorsese movie, btw this movie is way better than joke in terms of writing and personal enjoyment.

I remember seeing the King of Comedy, which I thought was a good sort of template for what this film was going to be a dark sort of, you know, insane journey.

I would also put The King of Comedy. Certainly in my top three movies ever. I mean, it’s not underrated any more, because I think it’s certainly thought of as a classic movie, but at the time, it bombed like so many great movies did.

Next up was another classic, and a personal favourite of my own to betray an opinion. “Number two might be The King of Comedy, Martin Scorsese’s film with Robert De Niro,” he declared. “Lots of people, of course, will talk about Taxi Driver or Raging Bull as the great films made by Scorsese and De Niro but I think The King of Comedy belongs right up in that group. It is one of De Niro’s great performances as Rupert Pupkin as a demented aspiring comedy. It is one of the greatest commentaries about America and fame and it just has legendary performances by Jerry Lewis and Sandra Bernhard in addition to De Niro, so check out The King of Comedy.”

I was torn between saying Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, The King of Comedy or Mean Streets.

For funny movies, Scorsese — you know, I have an affection for The King of Comedy. It’s just fun to watch. I like Rupert Pupkin… it’s hilarious. I like that it’s dark, and how this guy gets to be famous.