My expectations of this semi-autobiographical feature starring Pete Davidson as “The King of Staten Island” were so high, bruh. But after like 30 minutes, I was done patiently waiting for Pete to commit to his role as Scott Carlin, the lovable douchebag who can’t get his shit together.
I’m a fan of Davidson’s brand. I understand his humor. I open-mouth cackle at his antics during his stand-up and when he’s on Saturday Night Live. The dark jokes are up my alley.
But his role as Scott, which I assume is an ode to Kid Cudi (his Lord and Savior), was so dull that it was difficult to track whether or not he was acting for most of it.
The scene I appreciated most was the introduction. The framing was anxiety-inducing and set a tone that never really manifested into anything later on. Scott’s driving along to Cudi playing on the radio, and he briefly shuts his eyes—foot still on the gas—no fucks given. Mescudi fans would understand the beautiful irony in having “Pursuit of Happiness” (a personal bop) play while Scott is in the middle of an impromptu suicide attempt. The solemn seriousness of that brief moment just came and went, and didn’t really add to the rest of the screenplay. It was a wasted opportunity.
The cameos saved this film for me, but it still wasn’t enough. Bill Burr‘s introduction was exactly how I imagined it would be: loud, brash, and expletive-filled. A whole delight. 🥰🥰 Like an oily Little Debbie oatmeal pie. Steve Buscemi, Pam Adlon, Carly Aquilino, Moises Arias, Action Bronson were all great to see!!! MGK‘s cameo was a little less shocking, but he did a great job. I’m liking his expanding brand into the arts too.
Other problem areas:
⏳ This shit was too long. I was exhausted after an hour and fifteen minutes. Definitely would’ve enjoyed this a lot more if it were edited down to like 1hr and 45 minutes max.
⏳ The screenplay made me woozy. 🥴 It wasn’t until the final act during Scott’s friendship with the guys at the fire station that we got the aim of his redemptive qualities, but it took too long to get there.
⏳ The situationship between Scott and Kelsey (played by Bel Powley) felt so forced and unnecessary to the scope of Scott’s journey. It was weird.
In conclusion, this film felt like just something Judd and Pete did over the weekends for a few months and used as a way to get the homies IMDb acting credits. My expectations weren’t met and it’s disappointing because I effs with Judd’s particular comedy schtick. His tone is consistent across his work, but this one just didn’t do it for me.