Judd Apatow, known for successful films such as Funny People, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Knocked Up, takes on a biographical approach to comedy (much like what he did in The Big Sick). He attempts to tell the story of the famed Saturday Night Live actor Pete Davidson (Scott for the purposes of the film) and his journey toward success. Like any success story, Davidson has faced trials and tribulations along his journey toward fame, but even his story has unique twists and turns. The King of Staten Island is an up close and personal look at those struggles, including the death of his father, his mother’s romantic relationships, and run-ins with the law.
Davidson has become a household name in the realm of comedy, particularly in the field of sketch comedy, thanks to his success on Saturday Night Live. He is highly regarded in those circles and his “Chad” skits have opened viewers’ eyes to the simplicity of what he is capable of doing. However, skits like “Chad” are purposely stupid and aren’t meant to invoke too much thought. Their goal is simply to invoke belly laughs from the viewers of the long-running show and provide an escape from whatever reality haunts them. As Davidison makes the jump from sketch comedy to mainstream cinema in The King of Staten Island, his prowess in the former proves to be less than adequate for the latter. His abilities when it comes to nonsensical humor are well received and appreciated, however, they do not translate well when attempting to depict the story of his troubled formative years. The biggest struggle with accepting Davidson as legitimate throughout The King of Staten Island is the fact that he only has one level: extreme. He’s unable to dial back the sarcasm, even a little, in order to depict the more emotionally drawing scenes. As a result of his inability to adapt those scenes have little meaning and ultimately fail to reach audiences the way they are meant to.
While The King of Staten Island is based primarily on fact, and fabricating a story to make it Hollywood appropriate is something that should be avoided, the story of Davidson lacks enough substance to make it truly successful. Again, viewers often find that the truth is molded into something that the masses might consider more interesting, but that comes with issues, as the reality of the story is lost in the process. Certainly I think that this method is unfair to viewers and I don’t condone that as a possible way to attract audiences, but I can understand that there are some stories that, on their own, don’t have enough substance to be interesting; the story of Davidson suffers from this. As a result of the backstory to Davidson’s success not being interesting enough to entertain audiences for more than two hours, both he and Apatow should have avoided developing this film at all costs.
With all of the bad, there are moments throughout The King of Staten Island that land on their feet and give viewers a reason not to hate the film entirely. The absolute best part of the film was the inclusion of stand-up comic Bill Burr (Ray Bishop). His arrival in the film starts off strong and provides a series of legitimate laughs as he interacts with Davidson for the first time. Their semi-witty banter back and forth shows that they both are able to make viewers laugh, but those laughs soon end when their relationship gets a bit tricky. As a bond is formed, and the realities of the world give them a stern kick in the pants, the humor that was present in their first few minutes together dissipates and leaves viewers bummed about how the rest of the film plays out. Like the relationship between Ray and Scott, The King of Staten Island is quickly reduced to nothing more than nonsense with little to no purpose.
The King of Staten Island fails to entertain almost from the very opening scene. The subpar acting doesn’t allow viewers to feel anything for the characters, even in the most depressing moments. Davidson’s inability to break free from his usual, over-the-top methods finds him unable to reach viewers, convey his story, or even make those viewers care about anything he’s saying. There is a lot to take away regarding Davidson’s story and his journey toward Saturday Night Live, but one thing is for sure by the end of The King of Staten Island, Pete Davidson has no place in mainstream cinema.
Directed by Judd Apatow.
Written by Judd Apatow, Pete Davidson & Dave Sirus.
Starring Pete Davidson, Bel Powley, Ricky Velez, Lou Wilson, Moises Arias, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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