Image via Complex Original
Despite the leg-lock COVID-19 put on Hollywood early in the year, a few stars have managed to shine brightly still. Pete Davidson, especially, is in the midst of a capital-M Moment, riding into summer 2020 off of a particularly hot spring. There was the stand-up Netflix special Alive in New York in late February. In March he brought vigor to the coming-of-age trappings of Big Time Adolescence as a burnout, darkest-timeline version of Pete’s charming, wild-style manchild brand. SNL's quarantine episodes seemingly reinvigorated his contribution to the show. And now in the waning days of the season those lines have blurred even further in the 8 Mile-esque sort-of-biopic King of Staten Island, co-written and directed by Judd Apatow, the patron saint of shaggy, manchild coming-of-age-stunted-growth dramedies. With King out today, Complex Pop Culture editors khal and Frazier take a look at Pete’s trajectory so far, and whether his moves have set him up to fully blast out of the Hollywood stratosphere.
So, he’s shining. But is any of it good?
Frazier: Around the end of 2019, if you remember khal, I was kicking around a ‘Pete Davidson Is the Man of 2020’ piece (or at least, a man) off the strength of King of Staten Island alone. Getting in the driver’s seat of a Judd Apatow-branded vehicle feels like a rite of passage on the path to comedy superstardom—albeit less-so in the ‘10s than the aughts but then again, Judd came off the bench for Amy Schumer like he never left, so who’s to say? This is the moment that decides if Pete’s gonna be the SNL rogue who pulls dimes forever and pops up elsewhere at random (not a bad existence at all) or the next true-blue star out of 30 Rock. So far, the momentum is shaping up to be the latter. It’s a bummer that King of Staten Island won’t be the theatrical moment it was intended to be, but it’s a safe bet that this won’t be a VOD release quickly forgotten about by next Friday.
As for the movie itself, it’s good, even if it isn’t reinventing the wheel from what we’ve come to expect from Judd projects. King is chock full of flourishes unique to Pete: the setting both broad (Staten Island) and particular (Mom’s house). Davidson’s firefighter father died responding to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, in King Scott lost his firefighter father similarly, albeit to a more germane response call; the name Scott is a homage to Scott Davidson; and speaking of the other Scott crucial to Pete's story, the film is bookended by Kid Cudi songs. Even Pete’s real grandfather appears as Scott’s grandfather in an early scene. Scott goes through life as if he’s moved on from the event, but when the wound opens up and he lashes out at his sister or the always welcome Steve Buscemi, is when the film feels most alive. Despite all of that though, this still plays like a movie we’ve seen before. It’s an amalgam of every shaggy slacker-grows-up comedy we’ve seen Judd do before and Davidson, much as I like him, isn’t always enough to help it feel as if we're not treading well-worn ground. Still, with the great Bill Burr as a sparring partner and a stacked supporting cast ranging from National Treasure Marisa Tomei to a gem like Pamela Adlon, King of Staten Island is a good return on that two-and-a-half-hour time investment.
khal: I remember those 2019 days; that was Pete’s post-Ariana turn-up year, and word of this Judd Apatow project (and pics of a bloody Action Bronson from the set) had me just as hype as you were. I don’t want to say I was let down, but the movie is just cool. It’s what I’d expect from Apatow and Davidson doing a film that mirrors major parts of Pete’s real life. Do I wish it was more? Sure. I imagine it could’ve shaved some time off and picked up the pace a bit earlier, especially when it comes to Scott learning how to be a whole adult. There are sparks of what Pete could do in a rom-com or in a stoner buddy flick (which you should probably check Hulu’s Big Time Adolescence for), but ultimately I kind of wished it was more. And maybe a bit more of the sides of Pete we haven’t really seen. Again, it's cool, just not what I thought it’d be.
Which Pete is the Best Pete?
Frazier: Weirdly enough, I’d say Big Time Adolescence has the stronger Pete Performance™. You’d expect that from King of Staten Island given the quasi-autobiographical nature, but, devilish burnout bad influence brought more out of him for me. (Note: King of Staten Island is by far the more superior film overall.) What I’m saying is, despite his loudest detractors claiming that Pete only shines when he’s playing himself maybe there's less truth to that. And if we're talking best, then we're also musing on the weakest, and that title definitely goes to Standup Pete. There are some great, genuine laugh-out-loud moments in Alive in New York but he also feels a little uncomfortable, nervous, not in total command of his stage presence. Say what you will about BTA and KoSI, but Pete most certainly commands attention in both.
khal: I definitely agree. I think part of it is that we’ve seen this side of Pete. It’s Pete! That’s why the 8 Mile comment, while an all-too-easy analogy, is big facts; Scott is Pete’s Rabbit, and while situations and stories might have not gone down the same way, it’s very similar. What you saw in Big Time Adolescence, which dialed more into the comedic older stoner vibes that we catch glimpses of in King is what I loved about seeing him attempt romance in King. I don’t want to say I’m over Pete Davidson—his Weekend Update check-ins were the first things I’d go to on a Sunday morning SNL recap—but I think I’ve gotten to see this side of him so much, I’m down to see what he can do when he takes on a new role, or at least something not as familiar as what I’ve been seeing from him since, what, Wild’n Out? Especially if now is the time for him to say peace to Lorne and the crew; ride the positives from King out into more adventurous (or at least “different”) movie work.
Where does he go from here?
khal: I think this is where things get most interesting. Aside from which Pete you may prefer, or if you think King of Staten Island is a good film or not, it does do a lot for Pete. I can’t think of how many different characters I’ve seen Pete play, and in this film he’s doing romantic stuff, he’s doing more stoner comedy stuff, as well as a bit of the more dramatic, coming of age-ish vibes, too (even if he’s a bit delayed). I think the sky can truly be the limit for Pete, once people rock with him on film and take a few risks in throwing him in a rom-com he can put the Davidson spin on or even some kind of buff cop-burnout buddy action-comedy.
Frazier: Pete has spent the entirety of his career to this point being open about his struggles and his backstory, particularly his dad—his first Comedy Central special back in 2016 was titled SMD, which cleverly upholds the Davidson brand ethos sure, but is also his dad Scott’s initials. It’s all been building to something as emotionally naked and ostensibly cathartic as King of Staten Island, and you get the sense watching it that it also serves as a closing of a chapter and the heralding of a new beginning. It doesn’t get more putting yourself out there than this, and the acclaim is slowly but surely starting to roll in. His life will surely continue to influence his choices and his work, just look at how he incorporated his family in a standout SNL At Home sketch. But now it feels like Pete has the mental space and the bonafides to really stretch his wings, just like that poster. I want to see him mix it up more. He's an Elara Stan and idolizes Adam Sandler...get him in the next Safdie Bros crime opus immediately!