Film Inquiry

THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND Trailer

Pete Davidson’s life gets the big-screen treatment (sort of) in The King of Staten Island, the latest from co-writer and director Judd Apatow.

Okay, it’s not his life exactly, but it’s pretty close. He does play an aimless twentysomething who smokes a lot of weed and has a dead firefighter dad, a scenario that is eerily close to Davidson’s own backstory. Interest in being a comedian is pretty much the only thing that’s missing, but the movie still promises a lot of comedy. And most of the ideas at play here, primarily stemming from the lasting damage of losing a parent suddenly, feels like it’s pulled straight from Davidson’s life.

THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND Trailer
source: Universal Pictures

Little wonder, then, that this marks Davidson’s first writing credit, who worked on the script alongside Dave Sirus (Saturday Night Live) and Apatow. With the latter in charge behind the camera, you kind of know what to expect from King of Staten Island; the success of his heartfelt comedies like Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin made him a household name, and his penchant for loose plots and personal stories seems right in line with what’s going on here.

Despite Apatow’s name, this will likely be thought of as Davidson’s movie (much like Trainwreck was thought of as Amy Schumer‘s). It’s a bit sad, given all that, that this won’t get the theatrical treatment, but the times don’t allow such honors.

The King of Staten Island is directed by Judd Apatow and stars Pete Davidson, Marisa Tomei, and Bill Burr. It will be released in the US on VOD on June 12th, 2020. For international release dates, click here.

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