The King of Staten Island – 3.5 out of 5 stars: Pete Davidson gives a great, genuine performance in this coming of age dramedy that’s no doubt personal to the SNL star. He plays a slapdash slacker named Scott (after his own dad) who lives with his mom and smokes pot with his buds. Willing to tattoo anyone who will let him, Scott’s artistry needs practice if he’s ever going to have that first-ever tattoo parlor/restaurant he dreams about. But Davidson’s soulful approach allows the audience to see underneath all of that. He’s lovable and blunt, but in desperate need of some self-esteem. Most significantly, by not dealing with the death of his father, we see just how detrimental its been to Davidson’s character never moving on and growing up.
The bloated runtime will bother some, but it’s time well spent in Davidson’s kingdom as far as I’m concerned. The crown fits comfortably on him, but the stellar supporting cast (shout-out to Bill Burr, Marisa Tomei, and Bel Powley) is indispensable. Director Judd Apatow lets them make every second of their screen time count.
In every Apatow film, there’s the relatable themes, the heartfelt emotions, and the raunchy humor that’s made us all fans. Though, there’s a difference with this one, the guy behind The 40 Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up has quite possibly outgrown his childish ways. Maybe that’s stretching it a bit, but the level of immaturity is noticeably turned down a few notches. It’s a compliment and the right move for a narrative that dives deeper than anything he’s previously done before.
Listen to “Ep. 50: Judd Apatow” on Spreaker.Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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