Scott (Peter Davidson) is a stoner who binge-watches horror films and plays video games. He’s someone we really admire. Not. But Scott does have a dream, which explains the multiple tattoos covering his body. He wants to own a tattoo restaurant. But who’s going to back him in his un-appetizing dream if it means drawing blood around food?
Scott claims he’s frightened of himself, claims he’s impulsive; all stemming from a childhood loss when his firefighter father perished in a hotel blaze. Scott was only seven years old. Scott’s younger sister (Maude Apatow, HBO’s Euphoria) is heading off to college while Scott remains in residence with his mother, Margie (Marisa Tomei) an ER nurse widow who coddles him. The only thing Scott has going for him is the occasional hookup with his pal, Kelsey (Bel Powley, Apple TV’s The Morning Show.) Her character abrasively annoying.
But when Scott’s mother begins dating a loudmouth firefighter, Ray (Bill Burr) Scott is forced to grapple with his long-buried grief. The problem is, by then, we don’t care.
This dramedy was supposed to be SNL Peter Davidson’s debut on the big screen turned streaming. And let’s face it, Director, Judd Apatow, knows from elevating comic careers including Steve Carell, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, and Amy Schumer.
Yet how much more effective a film this would have been if the character was someone striving – via say, becoming a comedian – to conquer grief, much like Davidson’s real-life story in which he actually lost his firefighter father in 9/11. But if Scott – hiding-from-and-behind life -doesn’t give a shit, why should we? Not to mention that he can’t even motivate enough to feed his friend’s cat ‘Sprinkles.’
Unlike Apatow’s other breakout stars, Davidson is not particularly attractive, nor does he possess any real stardom ‘umph’ (off of SNL). Instead we get his offbeat droll which translates to dull. Sure, we sympathize with the child who lost his father…the fireman who didn’t live to see his son at his prom, graduation and all of life’s glorious milestones, but God helps those who help themselves. We’ve all been personally lost or lost a parent (or both). Sidenote: My deceased mother’s love-of-her-life was a firefighter who died in a false alarm.
Grief can last for years, but what we have here is an arrested development script. There’s subtle political humor, and in Apatow style, an amusing scene when the inked-up Scott tattoo-practices on a pal’s arm: an askew version of Barack Obama’s face. It explains why Scott’s running out of friends to practice his craft on.
Ageless and adorable Tomei delivers a spot-on performance much as she did in Cyrus, starring Jonah Hill, another inept son who struggled with his mother’s love life. Steve Buscemi is underused as Papa, a veteran firefighter who takes Scott under his wing. But for the Director King-of-comedy-tension and with such successes as Trainwreck, Knocked-up, The 40-Year-old Virgin, etc. this twenty-minutes too long, King of Staten Island’s lead character plays more like the Court Jester of New York. Life (and films) should have more substance in less time.
3 tiaras