THE KING of STATEN ISLAND Written and Starring Pete Davison Dir by Judd Apatow

THE KING of STATEN ISLAND is a comedy-drama written by & starring Pete Davidson of SNL fame, known for dating hot celebrity dames for a NY minute & for his tattoos up the wazoo.  Scott (Pete Davison) is a putz & a yahoo.  He's 24 but hasn't figured out what to do with his life.  He's mired in the pot infused basement of his mom's home in Staten Island.  Scott's mom, Margie (Acad. Award winning actress, Marissa Tomei) is a loving & indulgent mother.  Margie's been too lenient marring Scott from maturing into a productive adult.  Margie is an emergency room RN whose nursed her aggrieved son after his fire fighting father died in the line of duty when he was 7.  Davison's real life heroic father died as a firefighter in the 9/11 attack.  Scott's younger sister Claire, (Maude Apatow) fairs far better than her bro.  She's excited to be heading off to college but not without her apprehensions concerning her brother's welfare.  Claire is the daughter of Judd Apatow who directed the film and actress Leslie Mann.  Nepotism may have made the role of Maude a shoe-in but the kid's got solid acting chops.  What keeps this self-indulgent, mildly amusing comedy afloat is a boat load of talent including A list comedians & actors: Bill Burr as Ray, Margie's suitor and Scott's nemesis, Pamela Adlon as Ray's bitter ex and mother of their 2 adorable kids, Steve Buscemi as the Capt. of the local firehouse who takes Scott under his wing despite Ray being stationed at the firehouse & not fully on board after Margie gave Ray the bum's rush thanks to Scott.  Scott's sometime girlfriend, Kelsey (British actress Bel Powley) steals every scene with her honed accent & guileless blue eyes.  Minor players mired in the undertow of Staten Island; a minor NYC borough complete with its own minor league Yankee baseball team are all outstanding.  Davison's alter-ego Scott, shares a history of growing up in Staten Island with his single mom & sister, a penchant for inking his bod and for parlaying his goofiness into something that plays outside of Poohkeepsie.  Scott & Pete both suffer from Crohn's Disease which he shares regardless of being TMI and his perpetual petulance wears thin and turns grating.  THE KING of STATEN ISLAND is ferried along with the support of a strong bench of cast members; any of whom would be welcomed to host SNL.  The film is not as clever or winning as it strives to be but entire crew keeps swinging for the fences landing a charming & chuckle worthy screenwriting/starring film debut for Pete Davidson.