The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Clown royal
‘SNL’ funny person Pete Davidson puts heart into semi-autobiographical ‘King of Staten Island,’ but Judd Apatow-helmed feature a bit aimless
It’s a typical night for Scott Carlin. He’s huddled in a basement with three of his boys, a young lady with whom he’s been friends since they were kids and a friend of hers who’s new to the group. After the smoking a lot of weed and the finishing of a movie — “The Purge” — the newcomer tells Scott she likes his tattoos and then asks him about the meaning of some numbers on his arm. ¶ It’s the date his dad died, he tells her. ¶ At first, the other guys scold her, saying they don’t talk about his father. They are joking. ¶ “Knock knock,” one says to him. ¶ “Who’s there?” Scott dutifully responds. ¶ “Not your dad!” ¶ They all laugh, Scott so boisterously you wonder if he’s hiding a ton of pain. ¶ This is an effective stage-setting scene early on in “The King of Staten Island,” a semi-autobiographical comedy-drama starring and co-written by demons-battling “Saturday Night Live” cast member Pete Davidson and directed by veteran filmmaker Judd Apatow. It’s also a microcosm of the movie itself. It’s funny, but not that funny — and not so emotionally impactful as to have a lasting effect on the viewer. “The King of “Staten Island” works on being a more resonant character study in the following scene, as Davidson’s Scott and the aforementioned gal pal, Kelsey (Bel Powley, “The Morning Show”), have snuck away to continue having sex in secret.
“I don’t want to just do this,” says Kelsey afterward, obviously wanting an actual relationship with Scott. “I totally get that,” he says. “So should we stop?” Scott, who is taking antidepressants, goes on to say he scares himself sometimes and doesn’t want to scare her and jeopardize their friendship. Since his firefighter dad died when Scott was 7 — Davidson also grew up on Staten Island, and his firefighter father, Scott Davidson, died on Sept. 11, 2001 — he has battled emotional problems and been a real handful for his emergencyroom-nurse mother, Margie (Marisa Tomei), and sister, Claire (Maude Apatow, daughter of Judd). While Claire is about to leave home for college, 20-something Scott mostly just gets high and dreams of opening a business that’s half-restaurant, half tattoo parlor. That he has a long way to go as a tattoo artist is only one of the issues with that concept. “It’s never been done — not even as a joke!” Scott insists to Claire. “Because no one wants to go to a restaurant and watch people get tattooed while they eat,” she counters. “It’s gross!” After giving a tattoo — or at least the beginnings of one — to a boy (Luke David Blumm), Scott draws the ire of the lad’s father, Ray (Bill Burr). While Ray gives Margie an earful about Scott after showing up at their door, he soon returns to ask her to a date. She hasn’t really seen anyone since the death of her husband and quickly finds herself in a serious relationship with Ray, which she wisely keeps hidden from Scott. It’s hard to secondguess that decision given that Scott goes ballistic upon learning of the pairing, partly because he can’t stand Ray and partly because he feels it’s disrespectful to his father, a shrine to whom exists in the house. Scott’s further enraged when it’s suggested he pull more of his weight around the house — and even work toward moving out of it. From there, “The King of Staten Island” meanders for a while — like many an Apatow film, it could be tighter — as Scott begrudgingly helps out with Ray’s kids and pumps his ex-wife, Gina (Pamela Adlon, “Better Things”) for dirt on him. Eventually, Scott and Ray will bond, with Scott spending a lot of time at Ray’s firehouse, where veteran firefighter Papa (Steve Buscemi) tries to be a positive influence on him. Apatow’s directorial credits in the 2000s include hilarious movies “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up,” as well as the ambitious if uneven “Funny People.” “The King of Staten Island,” though, recalls his 2015 effort, “Trainwreck.” With “Trainwreck,” Apatow sought to help comedian Amy Schumer, who wrote the movie, make a vehicle to showcase her talents. And that’s how “Staten Island” feels. It’s a lot more Davidson than Apatow. Apatow did help with the script, largely by taking the 90 pages of jokes crafted by Davidson and “SNL” writer Dave Sirus — who followed him to the sketch-comedy staple — and infusing a story arc that took it to about 120 pages. Problem is, that story still feels half-baked, if you’ll forgive the pot pun. The third act feels too easy, as if Scott gets his act together mostly so the movie can end on a brighter note. That said, Davidson — who has had a well-publicized battle with depression and deals with other issues — is an interesting performer and is the main reason to watch “Staten Island.” If you’ve enjoyed the personality Davidson has displayed for five-plus seasons of “SNL,” you’ll likely find a lot to like here. (If not, you know, probably stay away.) Although you can understand why his character sometimes gets under Scott’s skin, fellow comic Burr (“F Is for Family,” “Breaking Bad”) brings a lot of energy to “Staten Island.” He helps make the bonding between Ray and Scott at least somewhat believable despite all that’s come before it. By the way, rapper, Cleveland native and Davidson’s good pal Machine Gun Kelly has a cameo as a tattoo artist who sees little potential in Scott. While it doesn’t reach its potential, “The King of Staten Island” has enough going for it that it’s worth a lukewarm recommendation. Just don’t expect it to enjoy a long reign in your heart.