The King of Staten Island is a 2020 American comedy-drama film directed by Judd Apatow, from a screenplay by Apatow, Pete Davidson, and Dave Sirus. It stars Davidson, Marisa Tomei, Bill Burr, Bel Powley, Maude Apatow, and Steve Buscemi, and follows a young man who must get his life together after his mother starts dating a new man who, like his deceased father, is a firefighter.
The film was announced as Apatow’s next project in early 2019, with the cast joining that April. Filming took place around New York City in June and July. The film has been called a “semi-biographical” take on the life of Davidson, whose father was a New York City firefighter who died in service during the September 11 attacks and who has had his own battles with mental illness.
Originally intended to be theatrically released in the United States, the film was released digitally via Premium VOD on June 12, 2020, by Universal Pictures. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Davidson’s performance and Apatow’s handling of the mature subject matter, but criticized its length.
Scott Carlin is a 24-year-old high school dropout, living with his mother Margie and his sister Claire on Staten Island. His firefighter father Stan died fighting a fire when he was seven, a loss that continues to affect him; he also deals with numerous medical problems, including Crohn’s disease and ADD, and smokes marijuana constantly. Unemployed, he spends his days hanging out with his friends, including Kelsey, whom he is sleeping with. She wants the relationship to be more serious, but Scott fears commitment and that he is not good enough for her. Claire, who is leaving for college, is concerned his neuroses may grow out of control with her gone.
Scott dreams of being a tattoo artist and practices regularly on his friends, although his work is extremely inconsistent. One day, while hanging out with them on the beach, he is approached by 9-year-old Harold. He asks Scott to give him a tattoo, but runs off after getting a single line. Later, the boy’s father Ray shows up at his house.