No. 44. (2020) THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND. August 2nd.

 

Film No. 44 (2020)  Aug 2nd.  3:40 AM.  Cinema 6  LUNA Leederville.

"Don't worry mum, I know your daughter got smart, went to college and abandoned us, but don't worry, I'm still here and I'm going to be here for ever". (The words from Scott to his mum Margie which form the base of his whole family's dilemma).

I'd read so much hype about this slightly overly long biographical excerpt of Pete Davidson's life, I'd gotten to a stage where I wasn't fussed about making the effort. Well, I did, on the big screen, and I'm glad of it. Judd Apatow's (director, co-writer) involvement was the clincher, not Pete D. I really had no idea of the existence of Davidson before this.

 Davidson in real-life had lost his father, a fireman, in the 9/11 attack on New York and The King of Staten takes us into the life of a young man looking for direction in his life. He wrote a screenplay in an effort to capture his muddled thoughts and escapades.  Apatow could quite possibly be the only film artist capable of translating the material. There really aren't the usual spikes and troughs of a social drama, but the film has charisma. 

The characters played by Davidson, Bev Powely (girl friend, Kelsey), Marisa Tomei (mum, Margie), Bill Burr (Margie's friend) and Steve Buscemi (philosophical firefighter) grow on us like a luxuriant lawn, fertilized by sharp, sometime ironic, but mainly humorous dialogue. Most are watching T.K.O.S.I. on the small screen. I'm surprised at the lukewarm reviews, but maybe that's the reason. It's hard to beat the big screen experience. 9GUMS.