The King of Staten Island
Starring: Pete Davidson, Bel Powley, Steve Buscemi, Marisa Tomei, Maude Apatow, Kevin Corrigan, Bill Burr, Ricky Velez, Moises Arias, Lou Wilson
Director: Judd Apatow
Self destructive man child Scott (Pete Davidson) is 24, has no real job and still lives in his mom Margie's (Marisa Tomei) basement. Although he won't admit it, Scott hasn't come to terms with his firefighter father's sudden death while saving someone from a burning building when Scott was 7. Both Margie and Scott's sister Claire (Maude Apatow) know he is capable of more but unfortunately he is more interested in being an amateur tattoo artist, secretly hooking up with his friend Kelsey (Bel Powley), and smoking weed with Igor (Moises Arias), Oscar (Ricky Velez), and Richie (Lou Wilson). After Margie begins dating local fireman Ray (Bill Burr), who enters the picture after Scott tattoos his young son, they give Scott the responsibility of taking Ray's kids to school and give him the ultimatum of finding his own place or he will be kicked out. Although Scott is initially resistant to this new change in his life, he begins to reconsider his life choices, confront his grief, and start to pick up the pieces of his life.
Director Judd Apatow has made a career out of making films about incredibly damaged and flawed characters who can't help but get in their own way. Often these characters are played by comedic actors who are playing against type in roles that were either written by them or written with them specifically in mind, most recently: Adam Sandler in the very underrated Funny People, Amy Schumer in the only role I have liked her in Trainwreck, and now Pete Davidson in The King of Staten Island.
For those that don't know, this movie is inspired by Davidson's real life. His father Scott was a firefighter who tragically died on 9/11 when he ran back into the World Trade Center to save someone before it collapsed. Like Scott in the movie, this happened when Davidson was 7 and he has never shied away from using his dad's death for often uncomfortable comedic effect. It's Davidson's way of coping and you can feel his pain from this tragedy collide with the events in the film. Davidson, continuing to show his incredible acting talent after Big Time Adolescence, carries the film and despite him playing such a self destructive character you can't help but like Scott. Davidson is able to give him an endearing and likable quality so that despite his many faults, you can't help but root for the guy. The rest of the acting is great, especially Bill Burr and the always underrated Marisa Tomei, but this is Davidson's show.
Like many of Apatow's films it's about 30 minutes longer than it should be, spending an unnecessary amount of time on Scott objecting to his mom's new relationship or doing something destructive. When it finally gets into the emotional core of the story, which is about Burr and Davidson's relationship as they bond and overcome their differences, it's well past an hour and a half into the movie. While it takes time getting there, it ultimately ends up being worth it.
Overlong but not lacking in emotional depth, this is a fantastic addition to Apatow's already stellar work. It's at least worth seeing for Davidson's star making turn.
Grade: B+
The King of Staten Island is available on VOD.