The King of Staten Island

Directed by Judd Apatow, The King of Staten Island follows a lazy slacker (Pete Davidson’s Scott) as he’s forced to move out of his mother’s (Marisa Tomei’s Margie) house after she falls for a new man (Bill Burr’s Ray). Filmmaker Apatow, armed with a screenplay written alongside Davidson and Dave Sirus, delivers a predictably overlong yet mostly compelling endeavor that benefits from its agreeable performances and smattering of engrossing sequences, as the movie, in terms of the former, boasts a terrifically appealing turn from Davidson that’s matched (and then some) by an impressive roster of talented supporting players – with, especially, Tomei and Burr’s strong work perpetuating the compulsively watchable atmosphere. (This is, additionally, to say nothing of Steve Buscemi’s small but captivating role as a pragmatic fire chief.) And while the 136 minute running time does pave the way for a handful of fairly (and palpably) needless digressions, including a heist that goes awry and Scott’s encounter with a shot (and/or stabbed) bystander (Action Bronson), The King of Staten Island ultimately comes off as a consistently lived-in portrait of a floundering twentysomething and the gritty environment within which he resides.

*** out of ****