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boyfriend Ray (Bill Burr). He's a firefighter too, which makes Scott crazy. When Ray takes him out to a baseball game with his fel- low firefighters, Scott decides to rant to the guys (among them an excellent Steve Buscemi) about why people in their profession shouldn't have families. It's raw and uncomfortable and helps set the stage for what will come next for Scott. Apatow refuses to make short movies and thus "The King of Staten Island" is a bit of an odyssey that's packed with some well- drawn side characters (including Maude Apatow as Scott's sister) and sub- plots as well as some questionable and repetitive ones. It also curiously leaves some story threads dangling (like a few of Ray's serious shortcom- ings that his ex-wife tells Scott about). But it's a journey that does pay off and the film really hits its stride in the third act, in which Scott finds himself living in the fire station with Ray and starts to learn about both work and his father. It might seem silly to say, but Davidson is really good at playing himself. He nev- er sacrifices honesty in the name of trying to make himself seem cooler or more sympathetic and you end up liking him more because of it. What is so refreshing about "The King of Staten Island" is that there isn't some big Hollywood arc to it. Scott doesn't suddenly become a tattoo prodigy. No suspiciously put-togeth- er love interest descends to pull him out of his status quo. And there is no mirac- ulous revelation that fixes him completely, just a few little ones. Davidson isn't every- one's cup of tea and no one knows that better than he does. It's that self- awareness that elevates this story and makes "The King of Staten Island" worth the watch. "The King of Staten Island," a Universal Pic- tures release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Associ- ation of America for "for language and drug use throughout, sexual content and some violence/bloody images." Running time: 136 minutes. Three stars out four. Page 16 June 15 - 21, 2020 G D W E F A W Z J I J T B W A A T T S A L A S C M W V A H R U H P D F N L H T O E Z F H I V C R O X S O S D R W K L L T E L J U N N M Y R A J I D R T W A K E G U E K R L R H N R Y A R W A V R I J Y M I Y O Z R I K O X L Q A C A L E K I O F C E A Y J N E K L X N A N R E M X V K A C R O H E D E W A L T E R S U G N A H D S K L K O D Q I A R O N N I E T T Y E R J V L E N U Y L O N D O N U V L A T P I R N H P O G A C E B K W I F A Z O K E R O N H U V "Bulletproof" on The CW (Words in parentheses not in puzzle) Aaron (Bishop) Ronnie (Pike) Nell (McBride) Arjana (Pike) Kamali (Khan) (Noel) Clarke (Ashley) Walters (Christina) Chong (Lashana) Lynch (Mandeep) Dhillon Undercover (Cops) (Best) Friends Moral (Code) London Gritty word search puzzle Solution is on page 9. CONTINUED FROm PAGE 2 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS This image released by Universal Pictures shows Pete Davidson in "The King of Staten Island," directed by Judd Apatow. Universal Pictures said monday that "The King of Staten Island" will debut on digital platforms June 12. Don't miss Monday's food page

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