The King of Comedy Is Okay With Not Being Funny

The heroes of Judd Apatow’s movies always have some growing up to do. The director’s early television work on comedies such as Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared dealt with the growing pains of adolescence. His filmmaking debut, 2005’s The 40-Year-Old Virgin, focused on a grown man (played by Steve Carell) whose life was frozen in place because of his sexual inexperience. Apatow’s other stories of arrested development centered on Seth Rogen in Knocked Up, Amy Schumer in Trainwreck, and Paul Rudd in This Is 40, a title that blared exasperation at its protagonist for refusing to accept his age.

So the youthful energy of Pete Davidson, who was hired on Saturday Night Live at the age of 20 (before he could even legally attend the show’s after-party), should seem an ideal fit for Apatow’s oeuvre. But while the film they’ve made together, The King of Staten Island (which debuts on digital platforms this week), is about a wayward soul needing to embrace maturity, it has a more melancholic tone than Apatow’s previous works. Staged mostly in dank basements and empty parking lots, the film follows Scott (Davidson), a screwup in his mid-20s who has vague aspirations of being a tattoo artist and still lives with his mother (Marisa Tomei).

Scott’s backstorytalked with the director last month, before the police killing of George Floyd and the ensuing national protests. Apatow discussed the dark tones of his story, the dramatic roots of comedic filmmaking, and what he’s been doing during the pandemic.