The King of Staten Island was a decent movie with a good story of a young man dealing with the tragic death of his father who died a hero fireman in a fire. Pete Davidson plays Scott in a story loosely based on his real-life story. Having his family beginning to move one with their lives, as his mother played by Marisa Tome beginning a relationship with Ray played by comedian Bill Burr and sister played by Maude Apatow going college. Scott is stuck in a rut in his life as he is always dependent on his family to depend on and not really allow himself to be pushed forward or anyone else to motivate him to strive for more. It's not only until Ray, a fireman begins to put little goals in front of him that Scott inadvertently starts to grow in his own confidence. Bill Burr’s Ray character reminds Scott of his own father which makes his anxieties rise and wants to rebel against the idea of his daughter starting a relationship with him.
I encourage fans of Pete Davidson and more importantly none fans to see this film because it gives a real view in the life of Davidson and a great understanding of what he has gone through in his life. This movie did a good job explaining his complexities multiple times but kept on that subject a lot longer than needed. The relationship that blossoms between Ray and Scott were touching and well-executed. Having Scott learn a lot about his father through the eyes of people who befriended and worked with him helped center Scott better than anyone in his family could ever do.
Problems with the film were the length. Too many times the point was repeated over and over, and I felt that the film could have benefited from being about 30 minutes shorter. The actors in this film promoted this film on their own platforms and you can hear that there is still a pain in Davidson when he talks about his father but getting to understand him beyond what you may already think you know about him from SNL or dating Ariana Grande is worth a look. Overall the chemistry works in this film and is definitely a film that makes you appreciate the person that Pete Davidson is through this lose connection to Scott. It's more of enjoyment if you go into this with the mindset of remembering that this is based on his real-life before fame. That does not make the movie better, but it is something that will stay with you for good or for bad after watching it and I think that is great for Pete himself. I am definitely looking forward to seeing what else he can bring to us on the big screen.