The King of Staten Island: Personal Look into Pete Davidson
Pete Davidson made headlines two summers ago with his relationship with Ariana Grande. Davidson was everywhere and was more known for his relationship than his role on Saturday Night Live. After the demise of their relationship, Davidson dated a series of famous actresses and was in the news for his mental health struggles. Pete has always been mysterious to the mainstream media and is often characterized as "toxic" which caused him to disappear off social media and brought an end to dating famous people. For those who were with Pete before his Ariana period we just want him to do well. That's what makes his partnership with Judd Apatow on his new film enticing. It gives Davidson the opportunity to not only address his emotional trauma but show the mainstream media who has villainized him the real Pete and explain who he is. Pete is in charge of his own narrative.
The King of Staten Island, co-written by Pete Davidson, is a semi-autobiographical in that the main character, Scott, shares a lot of Davidson's qualities and experiences. This includes his childhood in Staten Island, the loss of his father at age 7, his tattoos and smoking, and mental health struggles. Instead of being a comedian, the character of Scott gives a sliding door effect of what Davidson's life would be if he didn't go down the comedy route. Scott lives in Staten Island with his mother and spends his days with his friends getting high. The film also scales down the death of Davidson's firefighter father who died during 9/11 but Scott's father died during a local fire. The character is going through unprocessed grief and stunted growth. The film shifts between a self-parody of Davidson and something beautiful.
Apatow specializes in using comedians to tell a semi-true story as if the comedians are playing heightened versions of themselves. He utilizes this tool with Davidson but it dives into sincere feelings almost like a coming-of-age. There is such an authenticity to this film that is able to translate off the screen to the viewer. Everything from the clothing to the music embodies Pete Davidson and Apatow did a fantastic job of staying true to his lead. Apatow could have taken the easy route and did a raunchy film about Staten Island with joke after joke but that isn't Davidson so Apatow taking this different approach in this film makes it even more memorable. Apatow utilizes arrested development to move the story of Davidson along. At the beginning of the movie, Scott's mental health struggles are acknowledged when he attempts to kill himself. After this, his mental health issues are talked about rather than shown. Scott chooses not to engage or try anything serious because of his self-proclaimed ability to mess things up easily. It feels like an excuse in the film of why Scott is so stunted.
Scott's development toward his delayed growth comes from his mother's love interest. He is responsible for a meet-cute between his mom and Ray. Scott supports his mother dating until he learns Ray is also a firefighter. This triggers all repressed emotions in Scott and he takes on self-centered actions. Scott finds himself staying at Ray's firehouse and enters the world of being a firefighter to come to terms with emotions he has been putting off for so long.
The long runtime of the film mimics the messiness of life. The audience spends the majority of the time with Scott. At first, Davidson has a cloudy screen presence. He looks terribly ill and always pale with a calmness around other people. The film balances this with the angry speeches made by Scott about how firefighters leave behind their families. There is a sense of patience throughout the film to see where Scott is heading in life. Davidson is a watchable screen presence who shows his pain on the outside. The vulnerability he brings to the movie makes it feel genuine and connects the audience to the character.
The film reimagines permanent adolescence of grown men by exposing the underlying emotional core. As we see Scott rage at his mom, walk Ray's kids, and come close to homelessness it shows Apatow's exploration of living in a society that forces everyone to exist at the same speed. Scott has fallen out of step with the fast pace of life and needs help to start moving forward with his life again. Scott is hooked on a trauma that keeps him stuck in the same place.
Unlike other Apatow films that are filled with joke after joke, this film crystallizes the feeling of being too scared to escape yourself. Scott is afraid of caring about people that he will lose one day, but he also has the fear of failing to live up to the hero legacy of his dad. He stays in his mom's basement because that is the only place he feels safe and he loves Staten Island because it is never going to change like him. The supporting characters of the film help carry the story and keep it on the beat. From Marisa Tomei and Bill Burr's relationship to Pete's own friends popping up. It is evident everyone cares for Scott/Pete and want the best for him.
For Pete fans, this film was such a win, and it was amazing to see him make such a passionate film about his life. There were some questionable plotlines especially the sudden ending. It felt too much like a Hollywood ending where all-female leads need to end up with the guy in the end even though the film was meant to explore themselves and come to terms with their emotions. This film is no different which is why the ending surprised me. It feels like it is trying to tell us that to feel validated and good about ourselves we need to be in a relationship. This is what was confusing because it felt that the film needed Scott to go to the firehouse and literally meet his fears in person but the end of the third act throws out that story as if his goal was to fall in love the entire time and that would be the stimulation to get him to grow. There seems to be no end goal for Scott but like Pete, they are both young and have the time to figure themselves out before they get to an age filled with regret. Pete Davidson is a rare commodity and only he could tell a story like this that connected with a lot of people regardless of the ratings. After this film, I am sure many people are excited to see where Pete goes next.