Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

The King Of Staten Island 

This movie is one of the best films of the year! I’ve seen a ton of films this year and besides the gentleman and Bad Education this is truly one of the top films I’ve seen this year. Pete Davidson shows he is a serious force to be reckoned with as he shines in this semi autobiographical film about himself in many ways. The film is a hilarious and heartwarming story about self healing and finding your path which is the most emotional and deep I’ve ever seen Judd Apatow delve into since Funny People. As this film is really Pete Davidson’s 8 mile and the moment I saw the trailer the amount of things that line up with his real life is interesting as I was blown away how open he was to discuss some very tough things he’s been though in this semi autobiographical film about himself. As the film never feels like one sided as the film plays with some very deep tones of not knowing your place, finding your own path and also healing emotional wounds. For a Judd Apatow film this is unheard of and I love that as it’s an approach we have not seen him take. This film is hilarious it’s heartwarming and it’s truly a spectacular film. 

Firstly, The film is brought to life amazingly by Judd Apatow! As I mentioned before he’s never really gone into such heavy dramatic material before. Sure he did Funny People which was a very serious but also comedic film which you could use the same argument this film is too but it’s different because I found more drama then the comedy. As the film really tackles heavy subject matter that I was almost in tears from as it felt so real and part of the reason it does is because half if not all of this happened to Pete Davidson in real life so the relatability he has with the character is 95% to 99% all real emotional raw energy he’s channeling into this performance which makes for a more dramatic heavy film. As Judd brings a great element of fun but also can bring such a fantastic sense of dramatic Elements to the screen in ways he’s never tackled and it’s great to watch onscreen as honestly this film is one of Judd’s best films he’s ever done period. The film at times feels long would I cut any of the stuff out oh god no but their are definitely some pacing issues as the film is 2h and 17m in length and their are times you will feel the runtime but that’s really the only minor issue I had besides that Judd brings a incredible amount of humour and heart to this film that feels real and earned. 

Secondly, Pete Davidson gives one of the the best performances I’ve seen all year! Pete Davidson brings great comedic Elements to his performance for sure but it’s the amazing range he shows with his more vulnerable and emotional side that blew me away. He can make me laugh one minute and the next bring me to tears Davidson is outstanding in the film easily his best performance ever. Then you have Marisa Tomei who plays his mother with such a softness and tenderness but also a great amount of emotional heartache that you can see in her eyes. She’s not onscreen much but when she is wow she lights up the screen with a truly magnetic performance. Then lastly you have Bill Burr the comedian everyone loves who gives a performance very different then what we’re used to seeing him in as for a big part of the film he isn’t saying jokes or being witty. He brings a dramatic side to him that was refreshing to see and he nails it he was truly great in the film and brings a fantastic supporting turn to this film. Everyone else involved in the film gave terrific work every single one as their was not one bad performance in the film everyone looks like they were having a sheer blast great performances from everyone involved. 

Lastly, The King Of Staten Island is one of the most emotionally raw, hilarious and heartwarming films I’ve seen in sometime. It will leaving you feeling good as it’s acted greatly by everyone but it’s Pete Davidson’s performance that will have you blown away from start to finish. Judd Apatow has outdone himself and goes into some very deep emotional places he’s never gone before and really nails it and knocks it out of the park this film I’ll definitely be seeing a second time. The King Of Staten Island is one of the years best films and a truly magnificent film everyone should go check out. 

Scott is an aspiring tattoo artist who tries to keep his head above water and find his own path while also dealing with the emotional pain he feels with the loss of his father who passed away many years ago 

Rated R : for language and drug use throughout, sexual content and some violence/bloody images

Pete Davidson : Pete Davidson gives one of the most emotionally raw and honest performances I’ve seen in a while! We all know Pete from Saturday Night Club snd his comedic roles as well as his stand up. So when I heard he was going to do a semi autobiographical film about his life I was pumped as it can show people another side to him. As it does just that as it shows people he’s not a one trick pony but can show incredible range with amazing dramatic depth that feels real. This film Tackles half if not everything Pete has gone through emotionally in his life as his father died tragically on 9/11 as he was a fireman and they bring that into the story as a big part of the film. So Pete draws from his own life experiences when he has to go to those dark emotional places as he does in the film and it’s amazing. As you can see him at times almost break down into tears and your heart goes out to him and it also can be just from a look too he’s so emotive with his eyes. As well their is a part where things start spiralling out of control for him that hopelessness he shows that vulnerability you can see he’s been through it and it’s so genuine. He opens himself up in such a way he never has before and sometimes it’s heartbreaking to watch and the next your heart is warmed as you can see him get better and Pete just is incredible in this film. Pete sure plays a character which he does a tremendous job at but a lot of what he’s bringing to the character is very much just who he is as a person as he’s very much the character he is playing and Pete definitely shots consider doing more dramatic heavier material films as this film proves he can do a truly extraordinary job at it as he gives a emotionally raw and gripping performance that hits you like a punch in the chest. Pete Davidson delivers a vulnerable performance and one of the most personal performances I’ve ever witnessed and Davidson rises up to the task of showing a lot of himself in this film wearing his heart on his sleeve  and knocks it out of the park what a truly terrific performance. 

Marisa Tomei : Marisa gives a very subtle performance that is brilliant! Tomei is one of my favourite actresses. As when she appears in anything she gives it her absolute all no matter how much screen time she has. Tomei plays Scott’s mother and in many ways is just a version of Pete Davidson’s mother. She isn’t in the film as much but when she’s onscreen she has this tenderness to her that was incredible as she in many ways is the safety net for Scott and is always their for him. Their is a scene that tore me apart without spoiling the film their is a scene where she is fighting back tears as her daughter leaves to go off to college and you can see the vulnerability and sheer emotion wash over her as she tries to find anything to do to keep herself distracted from thinking about it. The way Marisa could just lay her heart out like that is incredible and then she also can deliver some truly hard moments of pure frustration and anger and dose not miss a single moment as she chews up the scenery with her incredible onscreen presence and outstanding charisma. She plays a mother on the outside that is holding it together but on the inside just wants to be loved and be happy and that longing for love and the sheer emotionality of that was brought quite authentically by Tomei onscreen in a truly fantastic supporting turn that shouldn’t be overlooked. 

Bill Burr : Bill Burr plays against type and it’s freaking amazing! Bill Burr is known for being very loud comedic wise and really loves making an audience laugh with his dry witty humour at his stand up gigs. Here he plays a role that is very much opposite to what we’re used to seeing him do. Here he plays the boyfriend of Pete’s mother and in the beginning we see Scott’s disliking towards him mostly because he doesn’t like how he’s driving a wedge between him and his mom and trying to replace his dad. Now Burr plays the role very straight and I mean that in the sense that he doesn’t make quips or jokes every three seconds sure their are some moments of comedy for him for sure. But most of the time it’s a very serious performance he’s giving I was incredibly impressed by how serious he took the role as he could of easily of been loud and over the top but no he toned it down and really brought this very sincere and emotional side to the surface which we haven’t seen from him like ever as their are many scenes in the film where you can see such a raw emotional side to him in his eyes as he really is pouring his heart and soul onscreen and the sheer believability he brings to the dialogue he says you can feel the emotional frustration and pain at times and it feels real. Bill puts the humour aside for much of this performance and tackles a character we haven’t seen him do and explore depths to himself emotionally we haven’t seen him go onscreen and it was incredible I have to say. He has probably almost the same amount of screen time as Pete Davidson as he does give a truly amazing performance that I think shouldn’t be overlooked as he brings a performance we’ve never seen from him while also delivering the fun comedic bits he’s known for but not as much as you’d think. All in all he gives a terrific performance that is incredible. 

Judd Apatow : Judd brings a truly outstanding piece of direction to this film! Here he tackles a lot more serious subject matter then ever before. Like I mentioned already he did the film Funny People many years ago and as that was also a serious film with comedy in it this film definitely goes for it when it comes to terms of dramatic weight. Since it’s also a semi autobiographical film about Pete Davidson’s life their is an added weight to the film that hits harder emotionally and it never at times felt cheesy it felt very authentic and raw. The film is perfectly done in tone as the film has a lot of comedic elements but also dramatic elements and one never outweighs the other theirs a great even balance of tones. Judd also gets great performances out of his actors and the film also tackles some very tough subjects that Judd dose not shy away from when it gets really heartbreaking at times he never sugar coats it he shows it for what it is and I respect that. As he shows it in all of its brutal honesty at times while also knowing when to take a break from the laughs and have more emotional scene and also take a break from the dramatic elements and know when to have a laugh as he is greatly aware of when to shift the tone at times. Judd goes for a more dramatic tone this time around and really goes head on with it and I admire the courage he had to try something he had never discussed in his films and to go in a total new direction were not used to seeing him go. He has this heartwarming and hilarious atmosphere that fit it perfectly and gives the audience a truly fine time while telling Pete’s story in great brutal honesty with great laughs and at times with great emotion. Which resulted in a truly well directed film by Judd and truly one of his best directed films ever truly phenomenal direction by Judd Apatow.