Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The King of Staten Island Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 24, 2020

In Writer/Director Judd Apatow's (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) The King off Staten Island, a tattooed, directionless 20-something finds purpose in his present and hope for his future through the prism of his past. Witty and winsome, smart and sincere, the film is carried by an intimate sense of inward reconciliation, burgeoning discovery, and a terrific lead performance from Pete Davidson, whose real life story inspired the film.

Scott Carlin (Pete Davidson) is a twenty-something aspiring tattoo artist who still lives with his mother Margie (Marisa Tomei) and his college bound sister Claire (Maude Apatow). His father, a firefighter, perished years ago in a brutal blaze. He spends much of his time high and hanging with his friends while trying to make something of the relationship he enjoys with his girlfriend Kelsey (Bel Powley). He's not entirely directionless. He dreams of opening a hybrid restaurant/tattoo parlor but his efforts to find gainful employment in both sectors fall flat. He's always looking for skin to tattoo to hone is craft, and when a 10-year-old boy gives his consent, Scott begins the work. The boy runs away in pain after a single line has been drawn, which draws his father Ray's (Bill Burr) ire. But when Ray comes to confront Scott, he meets Margie and the two quickly hit it off, so quickly and so deeply that Margie asks Scott to move out and get on with his life. With nowhere to go and no real hope for the future, Scott has to turn to Ray, himself a firefighter, and reconnect with his past in hopes of making something out of his life.

Ray's and Margie's relationship disrupts Scott's space and upsets his aimless direction, leading him further into trouble but also, perhaps, on the right track -- though for Ray and Margie any track will do -- to find purpose in his life. That's the movie's central theme and running arc, the idea that Scott's life was undoubtedly derailed, whether he chooses to admit it or not, by his father's death. The film begins with a scene in which Scott has to talk about it -- he has his father's date of death tattooed on his arm -- and even though he brushes it off and laughs about it, it's clear that there's a deeper connection and lingering response to the tragedy than he is willing to admit. The film follows his story that, perhaps as fate would have it, sees him pushed back into his father's world to discover more about himself than he could have ever learned sitting idly by and letting the world pass him over.

The film thrives on Apatow's writing and Davidson's performance. There's a sincerity to the story and the performance and both build up a complex lead character who isn't dumb -- despite his proclamations to the contrary at one point -- but who has been derailed and has no means, and perhaps no real desire, to rise back out of his funk and risk more pain. He seeks self expression through his tattoo work -- those he has and those he puts on others -- and he shows signs of being gifted in art, but will there ever be an opportunity for him to develop those talents beyond the crude foundation? As his story develops and he learns more about who he is, who his father was, and reconnects with a past he never really had, Davidson offers subtle character beat alterations that allow the viewer to intimately go on his inward journey with him, to experience the power of small, but critical, transformative moments that gradually set him on a path towards a new, and more fulfilling, chapter of his life.

The King of Staten Island Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The King of Staten Island was shot on film and looks excellent on Blu-ray. The picture is sharp and sure, offering crisp, well defined textures accentuated by a light and evenly distributed grain structure. Core elements shine, including facial features, clothing lines, and tattoo clarity. Environmental details, ranging from basements to fire stations, from upper class homes to city exteriors, offer impeccable definition to all elements. Colors are bold and balanced. Natural greens are a highlight while various examples of clothing offer well saturated tonal output. Black levels are a little raised; look at a post-sex scene in the five-minute mark for an example. Skin tones are true. The picture shows no print maladies or compression artifacts. It's a good looking Blu-ray beginning to end.

The King of Staten Island Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The King of Staten Island's Dolby Atmos soundtrack offers some fun diversions but is mostly a straightforward listening experience. Dialogue propels the feature, and it's presented without disruption to placement, clarity, or prioritization. Music offers good, rich clarity and satisfying front end width while folding in some back channel content, too. There's a good little bit of ambient engagement at the ballgame in chapter 8, while party atmosphere in chapter 11 comes through fluidly while accompanying music dominates with a tangible immersion around and above alike. Fire engine sirens in chapter 17 engage with filling lifelike detail and natural stage saturation.

The King of Staten Island Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of The King of Staten Island contains numerous extras, including deleted scenes, a commentary track, and a number of featurettes. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Alternate Endings (Which Didn't Work) (1080p): Included are Family Breakfast (1:25) and Career Day (2:25).
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 15:34 total runtime): Included are Drive to Cemetery/Cemetery, Beach Walk, Zoots/Pepe Fight, Grounders Challenge, Scott at Work, Police at Richie's House, Sound Machine, Ray Picks Up Kids from Gina's House, Construction, and Firefighters at Bar.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 5:53): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Line-O-Rama (1080p, 4:37): Alternate take lines from several scenes.
• The Kid from Staten Island (480i, 19:04): A look at Pete Davidson's real life and how it shaped the movie's narrative.
• Judd Apatow's Production Diaries (480i, 31:44): Apatow talks through the making of the movie, breaking down various shooting days and many production details.
• You're Not My Dad: Working with Bill Burr (480i, 4:42): Davidson's real-life relationship with Burr. It also looks at Burr's character and his place in the film.
• Margie Knows Best: Working with Marisa Tomei (480i, 3:21): Tomei's character and performance.
• Friends with Benefits: Working with Bel Powley (480i, 3:54): Casting Powley, her character, and her on- and off-screen chemistry with Pete Davidson.
• Sibling Rivalry: Working with Maude Apatow (480i, 4:35): A look at Judd Apatow's daughter's character and her work on and place in the film.
• Best Friends: Working with Ricky, Moises & Lou (480i, 3:56): Breaking down Scott's friends and the actors who portray them.
• Papa: Working with Steve Buscemi (480i, 2:51): The legendary actor's character and performance.
• Friends of Firefighters Stand-Up Benefit (480i, 6:19): Highlights from a benefit held by Davidson and Apatow.
• Scott Davidson Tribute (480i, 5:28): In honor of Pete Davidson's father, a firefighter who lost his life on 9/11.
• Official Trailer (480i, 2:27).
• Who Is Pete Davidson? (480i, 3:27): A closer look at the man whose story inspired The King of Staten Island.
• The Firehouse (480i, 3:17): A look at the authentic firehouse scenes, including a discussion of Steve Buscemi's real life work as a firefighter.
• Pete's Casting Recs (480i, 2:56): Casting some of Pete's real-life friends to act in the film.
• Pete's "Poppy" (Grandpa) (480i, 1:51): Pete's real-life grandfather makes a cameo.
• Video Calls (480i): Some online chitchat in the Coronavirus world. Included are Video Call #1: Pete Gets Judd to Release the Movie (4:09), Video Call #2: Pete Asks Judd Where the Trailer Is (3:48), Video Call #3: Judd and Pete Tell Bill Burr There's No Premiere (2:46), and Video Call #4: Judd and Pete on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (10:03).
• Audio Commentary: Director/Co-Writer Judd Apatow and Actor/Co-Writer Pete Davidson explore the film, covering much of what's already been explored in the previous supplements but finding a few new angles and insights along the way, too, reaching more into the nitty-gritty moviemaking details. The track was recorded via Skype.

The King of Staten Island Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The King of Staten Island foregoes slapstick comedy and typical genre shenanigans for a purposeful and sometimes heartfelt look at a wayward life and the surprising opportunity for course correction towards unlikely places and with the help of unlikely allies. The tender beats are carried by solid performances, a genuine spirit, and an uncanny understanding of life beyond superficial definitions. It's one of Apatow's best and certainly his most meaningful and dramatically satisfying. Universal's Blu-ray delivers solid video and audio presentations along with a large assortment of extra content. Recommended.