Movie Review: "The King of Staten Island" Is Light On Laughs, But Full of Heart

It’s grittier than one might expect.

If you are a fan of Judd Apatow’s films, you would know that they tend to follow a similar formula. The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Trainwreck and Knocked Up all focused on likeable characters who had a significant amount of growing up to do, but eventually found their place in the world. Another commonality: his movies all run for a little bit over two hours.

Apatow’s latest effort, The King of Staten Island, is no different. With a running time of 136 minutes, the dramedy centres on Scott Carlin (Pete Davidson), a heavily inked and insecure 24-year-old who still lives at home with his widowed mother, Margie (Marisa Tomei). Scott is undeniably impulsive and struggling to cope with the loss of his firefighter father, who died when Scott was only seven. In fact, it’s clear from the opening scene that he is battling mental health issues. We meet him while he’s driving his car with his eyes closed, almost crashing his vehicle into a traffic jam. He’s completely out of control.

Scott doesn’t have much going on in his life. He spends his time playing video games, getting high with mates, and giving people awful tattoos. He has dreams of opening a restaurant/tattoo parlour where he’d be the artist in residence, but he lacks the drive to take any meaningful action. Things become even more difficult for him when Margie starts dating Ray Bishop (Bill Burr), who is a firefighter just like his dad was.

It becomes evident about halfway through that The King of Staten Island is one of Apatow’s darker and more emotional films. Although, that doesn’t mean there aren’t fun times to be had. The quick-witted banter between Scott and his friends feels entirely organic, and the scenes where they’re just hanging out are some of the film’s most engaging. Even when Scott is complaining (which is often), he maintains the same gregarious energy.

Of course, Scott’s continuous whining will simply be downright annoying for some viewers. In saying that, Davidson manages to bring both raw authenticity and warmth to the role. Davidson’s performance feels highly personal, which is to be expected considering the film is loosely based on his own life before he got onto Saturday Night Live. His portrayal of Scott is surprisingly grounded, and he’s totally convincing as a young man wrestling with trauma.

That’s why I couldn't help but wish writers Apatow, Davidson and Dave Sirius had delved deeper into Scott’s family’s tragedy. His codependent relationship with his mother Margie is never fully explored, and neither is his turbulent bond with his younger sister, Claire (Maude Apatow). A romantic subplot between Scott and his friend Kelsey (Bel Powley) never gets enough attention, despite Kelsey being the only person in Scott’s life that believes in his potential. Additionally, we do not really learn how Scott’s ADHD impacts his day-to-day life, other than making it tough for him to focus. By only scraping the surface of these issues, Davidson's character sometimes lacks emotional nuance.

By pulling back on Scott's intensity, it also makes the more serious plotlines feel too abrupt. There’s a scene involving a violent pharmacy robbery that seems out of place and leads absolutely nowhere. The second half of the film is far more purposeful, concentrating on Scott’s personal journey as he helps out the firefighters at Ray’s firehouse. Many of the flick’s later scenes are filled with meaningful conversations about duty, family and what it means to be accountable for your own actions.

It’s in these more delicate moments that The King of Staten Island works best. Even if it’s not Apatow’s funniest film, it’s undoubtedly one of his most tender and endearing. More than anything, it’s a heart-warming look at how growing up requires us to first deal with the demons of our past.

3.5/5

The King of Staten Island lands in Australian cinemas on 16 July. It is rated MA15+ for strong coarse language.