Movie Review

Pete Davidson takes big step forward in The King of Staten Island

Since joining the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2014, Pete Davidson has tended to make more news with his personal life than his professional one. Whether it was dating high-profile women like Ariana Grande and Kate Beckinsale, or showing erratic behavior that led to worries he was suicidal, Davidson’s real life was always more interesting than his on-screen roles.

The King of Staten Island, which Davidson co-wrote with director Judd Apatow (Dave Sirus is also credited as co-writer), may prove to be the turning point in his career. Davidson plays Scott Carlin, a 24-year-old wannabe tattoo artist who still lives at home with his mom Margie (Marisa Tomei) on Staten Island. His days mostly consist of hanging out with his equally lazy friends, practicing tattoos on any remaining blank spaces on their bodies, and, naturally, smoking pot.

When his sister Claire (Maude Apatow) moves away to college and his mom starts dating again 17 years after the death of his firefighter father, Scott is forced to re-evaluate his own life. It’s clear that his current course is not fulfilling, but a lack of motivation coupled with mental health limitations makes it hard for him to see any way out of his neighborhood.

There’s nothing earth-shattering about the story Davidson is trying to tell, but it’s the specifics that keep it consistently interesting and entertaining. An opening sequence gives immediate insight into Scott’s mental state, something which colors the rest of the film even when it gets more lighthearted.

Though not strictly autobiographical, the film includes enough elements of Davidson’s real life that it would appear he’s trying to work through some personal issues. Scott’s father died in a fire, just as Davidson’s dad (whose name was Scott) died as a first responder on 9/11. Scott’s obsession with tattoos is a natural extension of Davidson's obvious real-life love, given that his upper body is covered with them. And Scott openly talks about his mental health issues, which Davidson has, as well. All are dealt with extensively in the film, to varying degrees of seriousness.

This is Apatow’s first feature directorial effort in five years, and it’s nice to see that he has reined in some of his more outré tendencies. While there is plenty of comedy in the film, none of it is so over-the-top that the story becomes unbelievable. There are a few narrative missteps, with some sections moving too quickly while others go too slowly, but on the whole the film is nicely paced and plotted.

It remains to be seen whether Davidson can parlay this film into future stardom, but he’s confident and charismatic in this particular role. Tomei hasn’t had a mom role very often, but she acquits herself well here. The casting of Maude Apatow as the sister might look like nepotism, but she proves any doubters wrong with a strong and nuanced performance. And Bill Burr, Steve Buscemi, and Pamela Adlon all bring great energy to their supporting roles.

The King of Staten Island may or may not turn out to be Davidson’s Trainwreck, the 2015 Apatow film that brought Amy Schumer into the mainstream. But it shows that he has much more to offer than he has shown on SNL, a welcome development for any comedy lover.

Pete Davidson in The King of Staten Island.

Pete Davidson in The King of Staten Island

Photo by Mary Cybulski / Universal Pictures

Pete Davidson in The King of Staten Island.

Vinyl Record News

Dallas record store chain Josey Records spins new location in Garland

Josey Records

Josey Records

Vinyl at Josey Records

Dallas music maker Josey Records has extended its reach east: The record store chain, whose empire includes one of the largest single independent record stores in the U.S., has opened a location in Garland, at 1005 Northwest Hwy., at the intersection of Centerville Road, where it's selling its trademark assortment of vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, turntables, music posters, new releases, and music accessories.

This is the sixth location and the third in the Dallas area, joining the original in Farmers Branch which owners Waric Cameron and Luke Sardello opened in November 2014. They've since opened locations in Plano, Tulsa, Kansas City, and Vidalia, Missouri.

The original location is a giant place with 16,000 square feet devoted to vinyl, 45s, CDs, turntables, and T-shirts. They do a good job showcasing new releases and collector vinyl — they made CultureMap's list of 5 best places in Dallas to buy vinyl records — and are known to host album release and listening parties such as a recent blockbuster celebrating Linkin Park.

They made headlines in June 2020 when they acquired the vast musical inventory of Bill’s Records following the death of owner Bill Wisener; Cameron and Sardello both worked at Bill’s, and knew the sprawling collection first-hand.

"It has taken us years to even start going through it, but in last two years, we've made some headway," Cameron says. "Bill's has its own audience, so we created a specific Instagram account, just for Bill's Records merchandise called @billsrecordsvault."

They chose Garland because they saw it as an area that was under-served.

"There are very few record stores in that area of northeast Dallas, Casa View, Garland, Rockwall, Mesquite," Cameron says. "We have customers who live over there, so it seemed like a good place for a store."

The storefront they're in was most recently The Music Store, which sold and rented musical instruments and accessories; but coincidentally, it's next to an address that was once RPM Records, a hip record store from the '90s.

The Garland store follows the same model as their others: selling new and used records and merchandise, and buying used goods, as well.

"One thing that's cool is that each location takes on its own identity," he says. "We buy used CDs, vinyl records, cassettes — we're a used resale business — and what we buy from our customers dictates what that store becomes. For example, our Plano store has a lot of classic rock. So we're looking forward to seeing what Garland gravitates to."

Garland does have one thing that the other locations do not.

"Right now, Garland has this incredible collection of jazz," Cameron says. "We bought a great collection of jazz records — someone called and wanted to sell it. We get that a lot, we buy major collections from all over the U.S., we even make house calls. So we saved it for the Garland store."

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