227. The King Of Staten Island; movie review

THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND
Cert 15
137 mins
BBFC advice: Contains very strong language, drug misuse, strong sex, brief bloody violence

Pete Davidson was seven years old when his dad, Scott, was called to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 and was among the 343 firefighters who died as the Twin Towers collapsed.
Davidson, in common with many New York children, was brought up without a father and struggled to cope.
The King Of Staten Island, in which he stars, reflects his life before he became one of America's most well-known comedians.
Davidson plays Scott Carlin, a rudderless 24-year-old who has mental health issues and is suffering from Crohn's Disease.
In other words, himself during his teenage years. Marisa Tomei plays his mum - an accident and emergency nurse who has to handle his outbursts.
And then she falls for another fireman in the shape of Ray (Bill Burr) and Scott immediate sets about harpooning their tentative relationship.
I struggle to get on with Judd Apatow movies because of the overwhelming focus on recreational drug-taking. The simple difference here is that Pete Davidson is out of his mind rather than Seth Rogen - Apatow's usual partner in crime.
Indeed,  Davidson's drug-addled Scott drifts into self-pity and paranoia while giving those around him a terribly hard time.
Among them is Kelsey (the excellent Bel Powley) with whom he is having sex but isn't man enough to go public with their relationship.
Indeed, he nakedly uses people and then, when his actions backfire, blames his mental health issues.
In other words, there is precious little about the main character which draws empathy other than pity that his father died while attending a fire.
The King Of Staten island is intended to pay homage to the fire crews of New York City and certainly paints them as both good fellas and prepared to risk their lives for others.
But I couldn't fathom why Apatow felt the need to make it appear that they are also keen drug takers. It really does seem as if he can't help himself.
Meanwhile, he also seems to be intent on bigging up Staten Island - allegedly, the Big Apple's most unsung borough.
However, my impression was the same as the film - neither is so bad it should be avoided but not worth going out of one's way to see.

Reasons to watch: New take on the 9/11 fall-out
Reasons to avoid: One laugh is too few

Laughs: One
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 6/10

Did you know? Two hundred New York firefighters - including many from Staten Island have died of cancers and other illnesses because of exposure to toxins while clearing up in the aftermath of 9/11

The final word. Pete Davidson: "I made a tribute to my mom and dad, and I got to face these things I'd been avoiding for a really long time head-on." Insider

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