I'M SORRY: a review of "The King Of Staten Island"

"THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND"

Screenplay Written by Judd Apatow & Pete Davidson & Dave Sirus

Directed by Judd Apatow
***1/2 (three and a half stars)
RATED R

I am not sure of what it is that makes Pete Davidson so endearing but his appeal is unquestionable.

On "Saturday Night Live," where he is a regular cast member, he is barely featured, only showing up sporadically and clearly devoid of the wide performance range of his fellow cast members, always portraying variations of his stoner persona or just essentially appearing as himself. And yet, when he does appear, the screen lights up and I know that for myself, I am more than ready to see and hear what he will do and say, especially during his appearances within the "Weekend Update" segments, where he is clearly performing mini-stand up routines. He is indeed a magnetic presence armed with a wicked sense of humor.

But, I also feel that his appeal arrives through personal traumas which have often played out publicly and even so, what is it that does not make us dismiss him as yet one more media whore who is living life creating controversies to be played out across our screens? As I regard him, maybe it does have to do with his sallow skin tone, the sunken dark circled eyes, scrawny, underfed frame all contributing to a demeanor that suggests a little boy, now young man, still so lost. Maybe, despite his fame and success as a comedian, we are all feeling protective as we have already seen the tragedies within the comic world and we just do not wish to lose one more, one who does seem to be so fragile.  

Our perceptions of and emotions towards Pete Davidson serve him extremely well within Judd Apatow's "The King Of Staten Island," a semi-autobiographical story, which not only allows us a window into Davidson's life as well as allows him to showcase his talents in a more expansive fashion. Furthermore, the film has afforded Apatow the opportunity to delve even deeper into more dramatic territories, and the result is his most soulful film since the sprawling, darkly bittersweet "Funny People" (2009).

"The King Of Staten Island" stars Pete Davidson as Scott Carlin, a 24 year old layabout and budding tattoo artist, who lives with his Mother, Margie Carlin (Marisa Tomei) in the titular borough of New York City. Scott spends his days and nights in a drug induced stupor and stasis, as he essentially exists in a sexual relationship with longtime girlfriend Kelsey (Bel Powley), harbors visions of creating his dream hybrid tattoo/restaurant business yet is involved with petty drug dealings with his friends, and through it all, just barely battles his demons, which are realized in the forms of his ADD,  his depression and his on-going grief over the loss of his Father, a firefighter, when he was just 7 years old.

As his loving yet rightfully worried and embittered younger sister Claire (Maude Apatow) graduates from high school and leaves the nest for college, her departure provides the catalyst for a series of life changes within Scott's inner circle, most notably, the arrival of Ray Bishop (Bill Burr), the first love interest for Margie since the death of her husband...and, who is also a firefighter--an event that forces Scott to face his grief and possibly, finally begin to take his first crucial steps into a greater adulthood.

Judd Apatow's "The King Of Staten Island" is a sublimely structured and executed slice-of-life drama that simultaneously charts out new territory for the filmmaker while staying within familiar themes. For Apatow, arrested development is the constant theme as it has provided the framework for every single one of his directorial efforts, and even some of his productions as well. And yet, despite the familiarity of the theme, Apatow has possessed this uncanny ability to explore the concept from new angles, always providing perspectives that are fresh and potent. 

With "The King Of Staten Island," the trajectory follows a certain formula but the way this conceptual road is traveled feels anew completely through the strong writing, the characters and the overall presentation which sharply dials the comedic aspects considerably downwards to create a canvas that feels appropriately raw, gritty and as real as life is actually lived. Simply stated, we are worlds away from "The 40 Year Old Virgin" (2005) and are firmly planted into harsher, darker territory and the overall results has afforded Apatow a wonderful opportunity to flex his directorial muscles, which now showcases a larger sense of poignancy and philosophical depth.   

Even the overall cinematic aesthetic of this film feels completely different from all of Judd Apatow's past efforts as the standard sunshine drenched California landscapes of much of his work have been given over to a more muted, grayer tonality courtesy of the urban Staten Island locales as filmed by legendary Cinematographer Robert Elswit. 

Yet, what struck me the most was Apatow's fearlessness with allowing the film to function and feel more like a subdued independent film and considerably less than a splashy Hollywood feature. It is a production that is exceedingly relaxed as Apatow allows the events to unfold naturally (a courtship scene between Margie and Roy is one of the finest, loveliest sequences Apatow has ever directed), the plot never feels as if it is in a hurry or overstuffed with material. He brings us into the life of Scott Carlin and allows it to unfold with ease, its inherent tension and trauma arriving unforced. He never gets in the way of the material by provoking, therefore, not even one moment feels inauthentic. All of this being said, I do not wish to impress that "The King Of Staten Island" contains no humor whatsoever.  Yes, there are comedic elements and stinging one-liners. But, this film is not a comedic escapade. It serves as more of a confessional.

Pete Davidson proves himself as being the real deal as his performance as co-writer and leading actor is a triumph. As previously stated, "The King Of Staten Island" is a semi-autobiographical film as Pete  Davidson's real life Father was a firefighter, who incidentally was killed during the September 11th attacks in 2001 when Davidson was just 8 years old. In interviews leading up to this film, Davidson has expressed that this film is essentially what he imagines his life would have been like if he had not discovered his potential as a comedian...yet, all of his real world neuroses have been eloquently included into the film's narrative.     

As Scott Carlin, we are dealing with another Judd Apatow character stricken with arrested development but this time it is infused with a crippling grief that has not only stunted his emotional growth but has fueled his sense of self-loathing, self-laceration, and overall manipulative tendencies which threaten to destroy every positive relationship he has. Even further, Scott's sense of self-destruction is seen through his death obsessed gallows humor and very real suicide attempts and death wishes, one of which bracingly opens the film. 

To that end, his self-awareness is as startling as his openness about his emotions, which are also utilized as a shield from allowing himself to wrestle with the deeper emotions of his existential pain. Scott is indeed a lost soul shouldered with the damage goods of weighty emotional and psychological baggage and his behavior consistently is a constant source of torment for those who love him. In many ways, Scott borders on the abusive as he dares those closest to him to leave him due to his behaviors, yet is also forever apologetic, always genuinely and manipulatively expressing the words "I'm sorry."  As I watched, I found Scott Carlin to essentially exist as a hybrid of the persona as presented in Kanye West's song "Runaway" and the late John Singleton's "Baby Boy" (2001).

Scott's life in his Mother's home essentially functions as another womb, and the film itself is his gestation into his potential rebirth with every character's life events, which advances them forwards. His sister's departure for college, Margie's new relationship with Roy and even Kelsey's wishes to take a  Civil Service exam to eventually become a city planner all terrify him as they each force him further into leaving home to claim a new life on his own, and often results in terrible behaviors, childish tantrums, and selfishly cruel outbursts designed to inflict pain upon others yet only hurts himself.

While Scott's redemption is evident, I deeply appreciated Apatow and Davisdon's willingness to make Scott Carlin as potentially unlikable yet as understandable as possible and believe me, there are points when even you may wish to throw the character to the curb. But, it is entirely within Pete Davidson's very skilled, charismatic, and multi-layered performance that he keeps bringing us back to stick with him a little longer--just as the characters also perform with Scott--because at heart, we know we are dealing with a good man trapped in a cycle of pain and loss.    

The film's final third, largely set at a firehouse between Scott, Roy and the team of firefighters (including a terrific Steve Buscemi--who himself was once a firefighter), also and beautifully sidestepped any cliches by delivering itself as if we were watching very real people behaving within a very real world, allowing the film's canvas to broaden and deepen, into a conclusion that does not present itself as a crescendo but as a grace note, one that felt to be pitch perfect. 

Judd Apatow's "The King Of Staten Island" is a success in all aspects. Wise, tender, gracious, and empathetic, it is a film that contains no contrivances and even no villains. Just a collective of individuals all trying, stumbling, failing and trying again to just get it right, for themselves and the people they love. 

Maybe these are the reasons why we have connected so strongly with Pete Davidson.