Directed by Judd Apatow, The King of Staten Island is a semi-autobiographical comedy-drama about a young man’s life growing up in Staten Island, including losing his father at an early age and struggling to chase his dreams. Pete Davidson is playing a fictional version of himself since this movie is based on his own life, with the rest of the cast playing fictional versions of people that have had a major impact on him.
This film is a rather unique specimen that you don’t often get these days. Judd Apatow is known for mostly directing and writing a lot of comedies, and while this is certainly a very humorous flick at times, this is a film that is a part of the Slice of Life genre. What is Slice of Life? It’s the naturalistic representation of real life while lacking plot development, conflict and exposition. And that’s what The King of Staten Island is, a representation of the real life of one individual that lacks a plot or any major conflict.
Now you may think that this makes the movie pointless, but the fact that it doesn’t have a point is what makes it so good. The story is simply about a loser trying to figure out life, which is something relatable to everyone. Also the characters are just normal people living normal lives with nothing special which in a way could make this movie anyone’s life story and not just Pete Davidson’s story.
It’s full of heart, humor and lots of strong emotions that I think can hit people in a lot of ways. It certainly did for me and I absolutely loved this movie for how much I was able to connect with it, thanks to the absolutely incredible writing and performances from the cast. It’s also a rather interesting character study into those that may suffer from mental health issues or personal loss and how it can really take its toll especially when trying to socialize with others.
Pete Davidson really owns the movie, delivering such a solid performance here as the lead and really giving you an insight into what he has dealt with in his life. He can be unfiltered, bleak and hilarious, but he does also give off a lot of charm, much like the movie does overall. He has been dealt the worst hand in life and, like I mentioned before, he is trying to figure things out. He eventually gets some support from the various people he surrounds himself with and it allows him to learn very valuable life lessons along the way.
One of these people being Ray Bishop, played by comedian Bill Burr. He fully utilizes all his talents with this character while also creating a bit of a wise mentor (and partly a rival) for Pete’s character, and it’s done so perfectly that this just might be one of my favorite supporting performances of the year.
You also have Marisa Tomei who, while having a small role, delivers a great performance that gives a lot of emotion and adds a lot of levity. Even Steve Buscemi who’s been out of the spotlight for a while had a pretty great minor role in this. Overall a really great cast brought on that give a lot of humanity to this unique narrative.
The pacing is really good as it never rushes through anything while also not dragging along at any point in time.
When it comes to cinematography this a beautifully shot movie with a lot of great frames that can give you so many feelings just from watching it, especially the final shot. You’d figure for a comedy that you’d never really get many shots like that, but damn did Judd Apatow prove otherwise.
There were also some great music choices to go with the movie that match the tone and never feel out of place.
This is a rather special film that I definitely feel is a hidden gem in this crazy year. It’s film that I feel will really reach out to people, despite not having a real point to it, but then again that what makes this movie so special and amazing, because it all just works so well. You’d think that a film like this would fall victim to many cliches, but it never does, and it results in an open yet extremely satisfying ending that I think a lot of people will love just as much as I have. I’m going to give The King of Staten Island an A.
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