Review: "The King of Staten Island" is a Perfect Exploration of Millennial Ennui

Pete Davidson

On the surface, it's hard to see why director Judd Apatow chose to land his latest directorial effort on the shoulder of Pete Davidson. At best, the amount of marijuana smoke flowing from his mouth could rival Seth Rogen in his prime. You can smell it leeching through the frame as a tattooed 24-year-old man-child wanders life aimlessly. Those who have followed the comedian's public persona will find it difficult to find any nuance in his small acting career, mostly getting by on the charming loser persona who means good but couldn't deliver on the simplest of promise. It's the type of mentality that you would never expect Apatow, one of studio comedy's premier voices in scouting future megastars, to have when choosing the unproven, untapped potential of Davidson.

Much like Rogen before, the collaboration with Apatow has turned out to be the best thing that happened to their respective careers. This is the director feeling electrified, finding ways to take the stoner archetype further than he ever could with Knocked Up. Here is a filmmaker who has matured into a father and has a cautious eye out for the next generation, desiring to explore their personal anxieties and understand why this new generation is so depressed. Given Davidson's openness in his stand-up, it suddenly begins to make sense why he was chosen for The King of Staten Island: a pseudo-biographical film that finally realizes the comedian's potential while also producing a film that explores millennial ennui with clarity and heart not often seen before. While it may have rocky patches (it is an Apatow movie after all), it's one of the most honest and focused works that the director has ever made. After decades of being compared to James L. Brooks, this may be the first time that he's matched his underlying charm. 

It's Early June, Have We Already Seen Any Serious Oscar Contenders?

There's no denying that the upcoming Oscar season is going to be a very special one. While every year brings with it a handful of worthy surprises, this one is framed instead by the world around it. For starters, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the shutdown of theaters and forced The Academy to allow streaming movies for the first (and probably only) time in their history. Even if we haven't yet gotten to the traditional awards season, it's interesting to ask the question: have we seen any big players yet? I'd like to think that we have, especially with the presence of such acclaimed movies like Shirley, Da 5 Bloods, and dark horse contender The King of Staten Island.

All of these films have one thing in common. They're thankfully good movies in a time when we're dried out with good-at-best titles. In fact, things are looking up in the month ahead as more streaming options give promising results. So, what does this Oscar season look like, and have we seen anything of value just yet? If we're looking at a case where theaters will be shutting back down due to an expansion of the virus, I'm willing to bet that we have a handful of things already on our docket, hopefully making for one of the most exciting and off years we've ever seen.

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Walk Hard:: The Dewey Cox Story" (2007)

Scene from Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

As awards seasons pick up, so do the campaigns to make your film have the best chances at the Best Picture race. However, like a drunken stupor, sometimes these efforts come off as trying too hard and leave behind a trailer of ridiculous flamboyance. Join me on every other Saturday for a highlight of the failed campaigns that make this season as much about prestige as it does about train wrecks. Come for the Harvey Weinstein comments and stay for the history. It's going to be a fun time as I explore cinema's rich history of attempting to matter.

Theory Thursday: "Funny People" is Underrated

Scene from Funny People

Welcome to a weekly column called Theory Thursdays, which will be released every Thursday and discuss my "controversial opinion" related to something relative to the week of release. Sometimes it will be birthdays while others is current events or a new film release. Whatever the case may be, this is a personal defense for why I disagree with the general opinion and hope to convince you of the same. While I don't expect you to be on my side, I do hope for a rational argument. After all, film is a subjective medium and this is merely just a theory that can be proven either way. 

The Runner-Ups: The Music of "Walk Hard" (2007)

Scene from Walk Hard

Every Oscar season, there are a handful of actors who get tagged with the "snubbed" moniker. While it is always unfortunate to see our favorites not honored with at very least a nomination, there's another trend that goes largely unnoticed: those who never even got that far. The Runner-Ups is a column meant to honor the greats in cinema who put in phenomenal work without getting the credit that they deserved from The Academy. Join me every Saturday as I honor those who never received any love. This list will hopefully come to cover both the acting community, and the many crew members who put the production together.

Does "Trainwreck" Stand Any Oscar Chances?

Top to bottom: Bill Hader and Amy Schumer

It is a pretty great week to be Amy Schumer. Along with having a movie coming out on Friday, she has been in the news for different reasons. She is appearing on the cover of GQ Magazine and is getting press for her satirical risque pictures with Star Wars iconography. This past morning has also seen her get an Emmy nomination for her work on the even more acclaimed sketch series Inside Amy Schumer. However, this is one question that must be raised every time a comedy of above-average quality is brought out: is it possible to see these films get a Best Picture nomination? With tomorrow's release of director Judd Apatow's Trainwreck, one can only continue to wonder what's keeping the prestigious crowd from laughing a little bit more often.

It's the One Year Anniversary of The Oscar Buzz!

Left to right: Luke Kirby and Michelle Williams in Take This Waltz

Ladies and gentlemen... we have done the unthinkable. The Oscar Buzz has managed to turn a year old! It is hard to imagine that what started off as a spring board to talk about The Master quickly evolved into a discussion forum for all things Academy Awards. The comments have been great and I proud of the cohorts I made, notably my Films with Friends cohort Mike (of Mike's Reviews). Hopefully this blog will continue to grow and cover more content with this Oscar season just starting to take off. But how do you celebrate a birthday?

Will "This Is 40" Be Able to Add Comedy to the Best Picture Race?

Left to right: Iris and Maude Apatow, Paul Rudd, and Leslie Mann

With the upcoming release of director Judd Apatow's midlife crisis comedy This Is 40 set to open in theaters next week, there is one thing that is peculiar. While it hasn't been nearly as massive as others, many have argued that Apatow's latest stands a chance at a few Oscar nominations. As absurd as it sounds, this isn't that far fetched, considering his influence on the comedy community (he did direct this bit for the Oscars). However, is the film capable of even placing this late in the race, especially since it didn't get a Golden Globe nomination?