a) STORY
Is the story, idea, plot, dialogue authentic and believable? Is it original?
The dialogue here is some of the most organic I’ve seen this year. Pete Davidson took elements of his life and, with the help of Judd Apatow, managed to construct a film with the perfect amount of heart, humour, and drama.
Did you care about the main characters, why?
My friends and I are big Pete Davidson fans and this being semi-autobiographical helped us connect and root for his character much quicker. For non-fans though, I think they do a good job establishing his life, family, friends, and mental health issue with the writing and Pete’s soulful performance.
Did the sub-plots work? Why?
All the sub-plots were smartly woven together to fit the main storyline and theme of the film. This film feels more like a “slice of life” film rather than a big studio dramedy.
Story Score: 95/100
b) ACTING
Who was the best actor? Why? Would you cast the actor? For what role?
The acting here was top notch. Bill Burr, Marisa Tomei, Maude Apatow, Bel Powley, Ricky Velez, Lou Wilson, Moisés Arias, Machine Gun Kelly, and Steve Buscemi all deliver strong and believable performances, but the real standout here is, of course, Pete Davidson. I’ve been a fan of Pete for a while, I always thought he was one of the highlights of SNL which was a shame since they barely used him there, but I am so happy to see his star finally rising. He has had a couple of cameos in some comedies like What Men Want, Angry Birds 2, and Trainwreck but this year he not only had this film but also Big Time Adolescences on Hulu. Pete has said that he doesn’t consider himself as a good actor because he can only play himself and I would agree with the latter part of that statement, he doesn’t have very much range but neither does Harrison Ford, Gal Gadot, Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson, etc, etc, but all of those people are huge stars. What’s important is that the performance feels genuine, here Pete really opens himself up and not only delivers the dark humour that he is known for but also a lot of charisma and heart. I think it helped that this was partly based on his life, he was able to connect even more to his character, named after his late father, as he really sells the dramatic scenes. While watching this movie, I thought that Pete would make for an interesting Joker opposite Robert Pattinson’s Batman, if Matt Reeves wanted to do something different, as the rumour is he is considering the Joker as a potential villain for a sequel to his Batman movie. Pete is set to appear in another DC movie next year, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad.
What was the best acted scene in the film, why?
In the film there are a couple scenes where Pete must take his mother’s boyfriend’s kids to school, and I found these scenes really endearing. Not only were the kids cute as hell, but the way they interacted with Pete was adorable. The visual of a tall, lanky, tattooed guy holding hands with two tiny, innocent, sweet kids talking about superheroes and singing songs will melt your heart. Another scene that I found well-acted was a scene in a bar after Pete’s character Scott witnessed the firemen take out a big fire in an apartment building, where the firemen share stories about their Scott’s father who they all used to work with. The scene felt genuinely authentic, as if you were sitting next to these guys at a restaurant listening in.
Acting Score: 100/100
c) TECHNICAL
How did the following elements influence the mood of the film:
Cinematography?
The cinematography added to the realism of the film, the shots weren’t slick and steady, so it felt like you were there watching as this unfolded.
Audio/music?
Pete Davidson has a really good taste in music as this, Big Time Adolescences, and his stand-up special all had exceptional soundtracks.
Colours? Costumes?
The colours in the film really popped. The wardrobe department made sure that all the characters, particularly Scott lit up the screen. There is a scene at a baseball game where he wore a button-up yellow shirt with smiles on it that really worked for him, the combination of the colours of the shirt itself, with the tattoos on his pale skin worked effectively.
Technical Score: 90/100
d) ADD
Add up the marks of your review
285/300.
Give the film a total percentage.
95%
Make a concluding sentence or paragraph.
Although this film is not as strong as Big Time Adolescences, it is still an incredible movie that might be Judd Apatow's strongest and definitely his most heart-felt movie. This will undoubtedly make Pete Davidson a star ala Seth Rogen, Steve Carell, and Amy Schumer (before she shot herself in the foot). It’s a shame that Universal shunted this film to PVOD as, unlike Big Time Adolescences, this is worthy of the big screen.
The King of Staten Island is NOW AVAILABLE on PVOD for $19.99 to rent wherever you rent your movies.
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