Pete Davidson is a celebrity mostly famous for being famous. The SNL star and comedian isn’t far off from Kardashian family territory, in which image overshadows work. Of course, Davidson didn’t get famous for nothing, as he was the youngest cast member in SNL history, but he’s becoming more famous because of nothing, like gossip and headlines. The work doesn’t exactly speak for itself. Maybe with two upcoming movies, including Big Time Adolescence, Davidson can help put the spotlight back on talent and the work.
Big Time Adolescence Trailer
In writer-director Jason Orley’s movie, Davidson plays Zeke, a pot dealer and mentor to his ex-girlfriend’s brother, sixteen-year-old Mo (Griffin Gluck). Zeke takes Mo under his wing, sharing life advice and getting him to deal pot to High School students. Zeke is not the best influence in the coming-of-age tale, which premiered at last year’s Sundance Film Festival. Reviews were all around positive, with plenty of praise for Davidson. We’ve only seen him in bit roles here and there, but he’s one of the leads this time.
A Big Year for Pete Davidson
Davidson has three major projects coming up. For starters, the stand-up comedian has his first one-hour Netflix special, Pete Davidson: Alive From New York. The first trailer for the special wasn’t very promising, but since it’s Netflix and Pete Davidson, expect people to watch it and talk about it. It won’t get lost in the shuffle on Netflix. As for Big Time Adolescence, it is going to theaters, but only a week before it’s available to stream on Hulu.
According to critics, Davidson shows new talents and range in the movie, even though it looks like a role not far off from his carefree persona and comedic style. Nonetheless, reviews were in Davidson’s favor. He’s well-liked in the movie.
The big Pete Davidson movie coming out this year, though, is Judd Apatow’s The King of Staten Island, based on Davidson’s life. We’ve yet to see a trailer, but anything with Apatow’s name on it is promising. He usually shows completely new sides of actors, like Steve Carrell, Seth Rogen, and Amy Schumer. Maybe he’ll do the same with Pete Davidson. Apatow’s comedies do tend to call for dramatic chops every once in a while.
The Pete Davidson Noise
It’s crazy how Internet famous Pete Davidson is considering he doesn’t exactly have a large body of work to talk about. Most of the time, people are talking about his personal life, which is unfortunate and uncomfortable. It’s rarely a good look for any entertainer, to not be known for the actual art or work they do.
Then again, Davidson hasn’t had much chance to prove himself as a performer until this year. He’s still so young. When 2020 comes to an end, it’d be great if we were talking about Pete Davison “the actor” or “the comedian,” only considering the quality of his work. To be fair to Davidson, he can’t control a narrative that’s built around him by complete strangers, but it’ll be interesting to finally see what he’s creatively capable of considering the loud noise around him.
Big Time Adolescence Synopsis
It’s funny: humans have been growing up for a really long time, but somehow we still suck at it. Just look at sixteen-year-old Mo (Griffin Gluck). He’s bright enough and comes from a good family, yet his best friend is … Zeke (Pete Davidson). Yeah, that Zeke—the aggressively unmotivated college dropout who used to date Mo’s older sister. Mo’s well-meaning dad (Jon Cryer) is less-than-thrilled by this state of affairs. His sister? Woof. So instead of spending his days readying himself for adulthood, young Mo is getting a very different sort of schooling. Zeke favors a nontraditional style with practicals in dealing, partying, and ghosting. Academia this ain’t.
Big Time Adolescence is available on Hulu on March 20th.
