The King of Staten Island: Pete Davidson’s deeply personal movie

Behind his comedic antics and high-profile romances is a family tragedy that fuelled Pete Davidson’s deeply personal movie.

The King of Staten Island is a deeply personal movie.

For actor, writer and BDE possessor Pete Davidson, it was his own childhood trauma that fuelled the comedy-drama, out in cinemas this week.

If, like most people, you only knew Davidson, 26, from his comedic work as a Saturday Night Live player, or for his public romances with Ariana Grande, Kate Beckinsale, Margaret Qualley and Kaia Gerber, you would be surprised at the depth of emotion he has imbued in The King of Staten Island.

Directed by Judd Apatow and co-written by Apatow, Davidson and Dave Sirius, the film is semi-autobiographical, taking details from Davidson’s own history and crafting it into a keenly felt, generous and funny film.

In the film, Davidson plays Scott Carlin, a 24-year-old Staten Island native whose only ambition in life is to be a tattoo artist, hoping to open a tattoo restaurant called Ruby Tattoos-day. It’s a terrible idea.

He didn’t finish high school, lives with his mother Margie (Marisa Tomei) and has a casual sexual relationship with friend Kelsey (Bel Powley).

Comedian Pete Davidson.

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Scott is adrift, burdened by self-doubt, spending most of his time with his stoner friends, convincing them to let him practice his ink skills. As one of his mates point out, Scott’s talents are inconsistent, gesturing to the very distorted Obama tattoo on his arm.

When his mother Margie starts dating Ray (Bill Burr) who is, like Scott’s dead father was, a fireman, Scott strongly disapproves.

The King of Staten Island is more character-driven than it is plot heavy, while it follows a fairly rote coming-of-age arc in which Scott has an awakening of sorts. But this movie doesn’t make it as simple as that – he is changed by what happens but he’s not “saved”.

It’s at pains to say that Scott’s problems are not solved, that there is more growing to do.

It’s also very funny, brimming with quippy one-liners but the sting in the jokes don’t punch down. The humour helps it move along when, for all its merits, The King of Staten Island’s two hours and 15 minutes runtime starts to drag.

It takes many biographical details from Davidson’s life, most notably the death of his father when he was young and the trauma that results from having a beloved parent torn from your life in such a violent way.

Pete Davidson and Bill Burr in The King of Staten Island.

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Davidson’s dad, a firefighter, died as a first responder during the September 11 attacks. Davidson was only seven years old at the time. That emotional weight hangs all over the movie, giving it a gravitas and authenticity that would otherwise be hard to conjure in a movie with frequent jokes about drugs and chlamydia.

While his character Scott’s father died in a hotel fire and not 9/11 (a smart pivot given all the extra textual baggage that comes with a terror attack), you have to wonder if the process of making this film was cathartic for Davidson.

How Scott’s relationships with the firefighter characters in the film shift certainly suggests a real-life therapeutic experience. Among the actors playing firefighters in this film is Steve Buscemi, who was a firefighter for four years before he became an actor (and volunteered during 9/11 search and rescue).

Davidson has a nervous, Sandler-esque energy and for someone who’s six-foot-three, he shrinks into the scenes, always physically unimposing. It works really well for a character who doesn’t value his self-worth.

Marisa Tomei steals the movie.

Both he and Burr are both really good in this movie but on-screen, it belongs to the women.

Pamela Adlon as Ray’s ex-wife, Maude Apatow as Scott’s sister Claire and Powley are all scene stealers, characters who are strong and empathetic, but it’s Tomei who walks away with the film.

As Margie, she’s unapologetic, empowered and authoritative, but she’s also incredibly caring, funny and sassy – she’s a fully realised character and Tomei brings her to life.

That Margie is all these things is a credit to the writing, and to Davidson especially.

It’s not easy for young writers to conceive older characters in such a well-rounded way, often unable to perceive parental figures as many-shaded humans. And given that The King of Staten Island is such a personal film, that the movie is so generous with how these characters are portrayed really speaks to its spirit.

The King of Staten Island is a big-hearted movie, more than you’d expect for an Apatow production, and it doesn’t resort to sentimentality or schmaltz to win you over. And win you over it shall.

Rating: 3.5/5

The King of Staten Island is in cinemas from Thursday, July 16

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