The real Scott Davidson, Pete’s father, was a New York firefighter and first-responder who died in 2001 when the World Trade Center collapsed around him. Anyone familiar with his son’s Comedy Central appearances knows how many dark laughs Pete has milked out of being left fatherless at age seven. Those who made it through Judd Apatow’s cancer comedy Funny People had every right to fear a relapse into maudlinity in this autobiographical tale of a young man who, after 17 years, still can’t get out from under the loss of his father. Happily, co-screenwriter Davidson clings to his therapeutic roots; there will be no calming shades of sentiment to soften The King of Staten Island. Past reservations linger on. Dialogue scenes persist long after the point is made. At 136 minutes, it runs about a reel too long; some of the more skit-ish material — waiters boxing for tips — should have found a home in the deleted scenes supplement of the blu-ray. And Apatow has yet to develop much in the way of a visual style. Borrowing a page from Woody Allen, he does the next best thing by hiring Robert Elswit (Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood, Nightcrawler) one of the best DPs in the business, to make him look good. Ultimately, it was the consistently funny, warm-hearted ensemble that won me over. I haven’t liked an Apatow film this much since Knocked Up. Maybe even more. (2020) — Scott Marks
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