The King Of Staten Island Review: 6 Ups & 3 Downs

Ups...

6. Pete Davidson's Raw, Deeply Personal Performance

Though Pete Davidson is, to be kind, a bit of an acquired taste, he nevertheless delivers a nuanced and entertaining performance here as Scott, in a film that's nothing if not obviously semi-autobiographical (Davidson also co-wrote the script).

Watching this movie, it's honestly tough to tell where Scott ends and Pete begins, from their shared penchant for recreational drugs, to noted mental health issues, a mutual affliction with Chron's disease, and most importantly, the fact that both of their firefighter fathers died on the job.

It's painfully, poignantly clear throughout that Davidson is baring his soul to the audience as Scott speaks of his personal problems and particularly his father's death, lending an uncommonly lived-in and at times heartbreaking quality to his performance.

For those not particularly enthused about Davidson as a comedic performer, his work here impressively confirms he's got what it takes to dig down deep and in turn in something extremely human and relatable.