Movie · 2020 · Comedy, Drama · 2h 17m · R · English
Curator score: 5.1/10 (82.5K ratings)
Overview
Scott has been a case of arrested development ever since his firefighter father died when he was seven. He's now reached his mid-20s having achieved little, chasing a dream of becoming a tattoo artist that seems far out of reach. As his ambitious younger sister heads off to college, Scott is still living with his exhausted ER nurse mother and spends his days smoking weed, hanging with the guys — Oscar, Igor and Richie — and secretly hooking up with his childhood friend Kelsey. But when his mother starts dating a loudmouth firefighter named Ray, it sets off a chain of events that will force Scott to grapple with his grief and take his first tentative steps toward moving forward in life.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.1/10
IMDb: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Metacritic: 67
TMDB: 7.0/10
Director
Judd Apatow
Production
Universal Pictures, Apatow Productions
Cast
Pete Davidson, Marisa Tomei, Bill Burr, Bel Powley, Maude Apatow, Steve Buscemi, Pamela Adlon, Action Bronson, Kevin Corrigan, Ricky Velez, Moisés Arias, Lou Wilson, Carly Aquilino, Robert Vidal III, Angus Costello, Pauline Chalamet, Lynne Koplitz, Joseph Paul Kennedy, Nina Hellman, Jack Hamblin
Where to watch
Peacock Premium, USA Network, Peacock Premium Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A shaggy, emotionally sincere dramedy about grief, arrested development, and learning how to grow up without losing your sense of self. It’s at its best when it leans into messy family dynamics, comic hangout energy, and Pete Davidson’s raw, self-aware performance, but the long runtime and familiar Apatow rhythms may test patience.
Best for
Viewers who like personal, semi-autobiographical comedy-dramas
Fans of grief stories that mix humor with emotional honesty
People who enjoy loose, character-driven hangout movies
Audiences interested in Pete Davidson’s persona and comic timing
Skip if
You want a tightly paced comedy
You dislike overlong dramedies
You prefer broad jokes over awkward, confessional humor
You’re not in the mood for a story about stalled adulthood and family trauma
Overview
The King of Staten Island is one of Judd Apatow’s most humane films, built around the ache of a young man who has never really recovered from a childhood loss. Pete Davidson’s performance gives the movie its pulse: funny, wounded, defensive, and unexpectedly tender. The film understands that grief can look like laziness, sarcasm, and self-sabotage before it looks like healing.
Worth noting
It’s also very much an Apatow movie, which means generous improvisational scenes, a strong supporting ensemble, and a running time that can feel indulgent. Some stretches drift, but the family material and the emotional payoffs are sincere enough to carry the film through its messiness. The movie works best when it lets its characters be flawed without turning them into punchlines.
Bottom line
If you respond to comedy that comes from embarrassment, vulnerability, and the slow work of becoming an adult, this is an easy recommendation. If you need sharper plotting or a leaner comic structure, the sprawl may wear you down. Still, it’s a thoughtful, compassionate portrait of a guy who is finally forced to move forward.
Top Letterboxd reviews
LetMeExplain (3★) · 1843 likes
The same cinematographer shot There Will Be Blood
davidehrlich (3.5★) · 1683 likes
Judd Apatow’s work bears any number of personal signatures, but it boils down to the two things he loves most of all: Overlong movies about overgrown man-children, and helping commercially unproven comedians become huge stars by making films and HBO shows in which they embody lightly fictionalized versions of themselves.
So while an 140-minute dramedy in which “SNL” breakout Pete Davidson essentially plays Dete Pavidson might sound like a risky gamble for a major studio to release at the height… more
Muriel · 1647 likes
so now i want to do coke with steve buscemi
Jack (3.5★) · 1532 likes
this opens with a Kid Cudi song and closes with a Kid Cudi song so of course it rules!
Frandi Peralta (5★) · 1171 likes
This movie came out in a PERFECT time of my life. I graduated High School a year ago and I still don't know what to do with my life. Scott in the movie is lost and confused on what to for his life. I relate a lot to his character and I know I don't have my life put together but I know I'm learning and getting stronger for my future. My life may suck right now but things will get better. I'm so thankful for this movie and for the perfect timing :)