The King of Comedy IQ Score 164/200
The King of Comedy has an IQ Score of 164/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient rubric, placing it in the Masterclass tier.
Exceptional cognitive and educational substance, delivered with craft that sustains close attention
Score Breakdown
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IQ = round((Cognitive × 0.4 + Educational × 0.35 + Craft × 0.25) × 4)
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What these dimensions mean
- Cognitive Stimulation: observable narrative complexity, conceptual density, ambiguity, inference, and sustained intellectual demands in the work.
- Educational Value: the density and integration of substantive academic, historical, scientific, cultural, ethical, or practical information in the work.
- Craft & Quality: production excellence in service of the work, its direction, writing, performance, and aesthetic intent.
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The TVI Take
Scorsese's 1982 Robert De Niro / Jerry Lewis film whose Rupert Pupkin, a delusional aspiring comedian who kidnaps a late-night-show host, became more culturally legible after social-media-era parasocial-fame dynamics caught up with the screenplay. Sandra Bernhard's Masha is rare female-grotesque performance treated with sympathy rather than as comic punching.
One of Scorsese's most important works; underseen relative to its quality.
People & Production Martin Scorsese · 20th Century Studios · United States 21 connections
On screen & sound
Production & release
Credits and relationships: Wikidata, CC0. TVI preserves production, broadcasting, and distribution as separate roles.
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Where to Watch
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Where to go next
The King of Comedy scored 164/200 (Masterclass tier) on TV Intelligentsia's published methodology. Source: tvintelligentsia.com/titles/the-king-of-comedy/
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