Universal Pictures
I’ve always admired Judd Apatow as a writer, director, and producer. Ever since Heavyweights in 1995, which he produced and wrote, he has had his name attached to many films. When I was in junior high, I watched The 40-Year-Old Virgin and it opened a new genre of comedies for me. His other directed films, Knocked Up, Funny People, This is 40, and Trainwreck, have all impressed me. His newest film, The King of Staten Island, is the sixth movie he has directed. Apatow wrote this film, along with Pete Davidson and Dave Sirus. This is a ‘semi-autobiographical’ take on Pete Davidson’s life who lost his firefighter father during the 9/11 attacks.
Much like his previous films, Apatow casts his older daughter Maude in the film. She plays Scott’s younger sister, who is headed off to college. Bill Burr stars as Ray, a firefighter who starts to date Scott’s mom, played by Marissa Tomei. It is weird seeing an Apatow movie without Leslie Mann though. Or at least Seth Rogen or Paul Rudd.
Compared to Apatow’s other films, this is a more personal movie. The film tackles depression, which Davidson has been open about. Davidson plays Scott who is 24 years old and lives at home with his mother. He lost his father when he was 7 years old and seems to be going nowhere in life. He lacks ambition but loves to draw and tattoo his friends. The film opens up with Scott driving and then closing his eyes for many seconds. From there Scott jokes about death and often says he is going to kill himself. Depression is a tough subject to cover but both Apatow and Davidson handle it in a realistic way. With this being based on Davidson’s life, it was easy for him to convey the emotions Scott was feeling.
Universal Pictures
One thing that Apatow does so well is let his characters have lengthy conversations about life. Apatow is known for making films over two hours. Some people would rather have his movies be shortened and some appreciate the length of his movies. By having his films longer than an average comedy, it allows for character growth. There were a few scenes towards the end of the movie where Scott joins a few firefighters at a bar and he learns about his father and his time as a firefighter. By having conversations like this, we get to know more about Scott and what he is feeling. Scott opens up throughout the movie and has a nice progression to where you understand the way he acts.
Pete Davidson surprised me in the film. He was able to hide his emotions with humor. In the beginning of the film many of his friends joke about his father’s death and he joins in with them. When we learn more about who Scott really is, the more emotional scenes come out. I was impressed with Davidson’s range and how he was able to balance the comedic and dramatic moments. Another standout in the movie was Bill Burr, who recently starred in The Mandalorian and voiced a main character in the Netflix animated series, F is for Family. He was more serious than Davidson but also showed a humorous side throughout. I haven’t seen Bill Burr in much, but after this, I would love to see him in more things.
This isn’t my favorite Judd Apatow film, but it is a solid movie. The length of the movie helped it out and allowed for character growth. I was surprised with Davidson and the range he had. I haven’t seen him in much besides a few SNL clips here and there. By watching this movie, I understand what he has gone through and I appreciated that he was willing to let us into his life.
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