The King of Staten Island is going to be an easy film for people to pick apart. It stars Pete Davidson, a polarizing figure in comedy (I, personally, find him endearing). It is directed by Judd Apatow, a man who many feel has overstayed his welcome. This mixture, along with a 137-minute run time and a $19.99 price tag for a one-day rental, could turn off a lot of viewers. Many will ponder “is this worth it?” while hovering over the title on their favorite streaming device. While recommending the film, this must be said — if you don’t find Davidson or Appatow’s brand of humor funny to stay as far away as possible.
It is no secret that Pete Davidson views his life as one complete joke. The man, who had a father die during the 9/11 attacks, has some very serious physical and mental health, alcohol and drug issues — all things he openly discusses on Saturday Night Live and through his comedy routines. If you do not like Davidson stay away from this movie. There is nothing the man can do to make people like him, something that has become now part of his routine and is apparent in his character in the film, Scott. Scott’s a “loser,” for a lack of better term, that isn’t even truly liked by his own mother (Marisa Tomei). He doesn’t do anything, he smokes a lot of weed, tattoos terribly and lacks enthusiasm on pretty much anything … even sex.
Scott is tragically likable, a character you want to see succeed, despite all his flaws. He has ideas of grandeur like opening a tattoo restaurant even though he has no artistic ability and (probably) can’t cook. He needs to grow up, something millennials my age nearly refuse to do, for one reason or another. This world is hard to navigate and even though Scott constantly claims he’s stupid yet he knows how difficult living without a cushion is. Scott, throughout the film, becomes more and more relatable, even if you haven’t gone through what he has. Davidson knocks it out of the park, and while he is crude and funny, his heart shines through in ways we haven’t seen before. He’s a more realistic version of the “loser” characters we all liked from the ’80s and ’90s.
When a kid has a parent die (as Davidson’s did on 9/11 and Scott’s did saving a family from a housefire), they deal with it in different ways. The parent usually begins to date someone sooner rather than later. Scott’s mother, Marjie (Tomei, amazing as always), waits 17-years to date, causing her 24-year old son to act out and act childish. While Marjie begins to date another local fireman, Ray (Burr), a by-the-numbers conservative type, who constantly tries to make Scott grow up.
Minor Spoilers: You would assume, just through seeing movies over the years, that everyone in this film will get in a fight, learn something about themselves and then comes together as a family near the end. While you may be right, it’s done in a way that is quite unique and sincere — and it will not be spoiled here. Davidson, Tomei and Burr are pure, entertaining and relatable, in their own different ways that keeps the viewer tied to each of them.
Sadly, there are problems in all the good. A few plot points that get dropped, most of which revolve around Scott’s friends. They just happen to appear from time to time and then are nowhere to be seen for the last third of the film. (Major shout out to Hannah Montana’s Moises Arias for being quite funny, though).
The film is also very Judd Apatow-long, something that becomes a chore. This was my main complaint with Funny People, a genuinely funny and heartfelt movie that could have ended 30 minutes earlier. Ray’s ex-wife Gina (Pamela Adlon) is also a waste, aside from one scene that is exposition for the next. She has a few funny lines early on, but she seems wasted the rest of the way through.
The King of Staten Island is a very warm film, despite what the film might sell you. It was oddly relatable to me, as someone who lacked direction for a long time, it might be something others might gravitate to as well. I highly, highly recommend this film for people who can get over a few things: they’re dislike for Davidson or Apatow and the long runtime. If you can give it a chance, despite those factors you may not like, The King of Staten Island is one of the best and purest films I’ve seen all year, and hopefully sheds a new light on Pete and his struggles and life.
P.S. — Though the year as been strange due to the pandemic, I would love to see Tomei and Burr be recognized for their supporting roles and I’ll throw my money in for Davidson as a possible for lead actor.
