The King of Staten Island

In the land of the blind...

I've never been particularly taken with the films of Judd Apatow, at least the ones he has directed. His talents seem better suited to the roles of writer and producer. Indeed, projects he has produced but not directed such as Superbad and Pineapple Express seem superior to me than ones he has directed such as Trainwreck, This is 40 and Knocked Up. Thus, it surprised me how much I enjoyed The King of Staten Island. 

The theme is a familiar one in the Apatow oeuvre (and recent American Cinema): a young male protagonist mired in arrested development begins making tentative attempts to grow up. Pete Davidson is the young layabout whose dream is to become a tattoo artist. As the film commences, Davidson's character's behavior verges on sociopathy. He spends his time smoking weed and watching SpongeBob while hanging with his crew of young miscreants. His Mom, played by the ever splendid Marisa Tomei, finally has had enough and kicks him out of the house, forcing him to grow up a little and confront the legacy of the father he barely knew, a firefighter who died in the line of duty.

This is indeed the background of Davidson himself, who was among the cowriters of the film along with Apatow. Both these native New Yorkers give the film a believable sense of place. Whatever Apatow's limitations as a visual stylist, his style is your typical bright Hollywood realism, he has displayed a solid feel for the give and take of heterosexual relationships. The interactions of Davidson and his lady love, expertly played by Bel Powley, and that of his mother and her fireman suitor (Bill Barr) are memorably etched and convey a reasonably realistic sense of interpersonal dynamics. The King of Staten Island shows an arc of personal growth for its characters that I find heartening.

The film is overlong, 140 minutes when it should have been 100 minutes at most. This belies the desire of the filmmakers to transcend the limitations of your typical relationship comedy, but film is too choppy and overloaded as a result. The issue of mental health is briefly mooted and then forgotten. A botched pharmacy robbery, in which the protagonist escapes consequences all too easily, should have been excised. Still, Messers Apatow and Davidson have largely succeeded in what they sought to do. Apatow shows once again that he is particularly adept at casting his players. Rapper Action Bronson is an especial treat as a loquacious stabbing victim.