Forcing interest that isn't there

I keep looking at this poster and I keep not wanting to see this movie.

Am I wrong about this? Please tell me I'm wrong.

It's directed by Judd Apatow, so wanting to see it should not even be a question. I mean, I don't love everything Apatow has done. I only feel truly affectionately toward less than half of the five movies he's directed. Funny People and Trainwreck were pretty much misses for me, and while I like This is 40 more than most people, it's not what you would call great. Really, I'm hanging on to The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, 13 years after the latter was released.

But considering the size of his footprint on comedies made in the last 20 years, when you factor in his writing and producing, I am all about being a Judd Apatow completist. Which means watching this movie.

But I just can't get past this poster.

I know I'm not supposed to "like" the character played by Pete Davidson, as he seems to be the flawed protagonist who has fronted every Apatow movie to date. I figured, though, that I should at least be willing to spend two hours and 30 minutes with him, which is pretty much the standard length of an Apatow comedy. (This one clocks in at "only" 136 minutes.)

Honestly, I can't see that happening. I mean, look at that guy.

It doesn't help that I'm fresh off a screening of one of Davidson's other movies from 2020, The Jesus Rolls, which was actually shot in 2016 but is only just this year slithering its way into our living rooms. It was my worst movie of 2020 so far until it was surpassed only two days later by Fatal Affair, which I wrote about yesterday. And though Davidson's role was pretty small in it, it did not help the movie.

I'd be able to kick the can down the road on this one if it weren't for the fact that I find myself needing to make a decision on it right now.

See, the Australian theatrical release of The King of Staten Island was on Thursday. That doesn't mean squat here in Victoria, where theaters are closed as we endure another lockdown. But there are five other states in Australia, none of which have had the same recent spike in coronavirus numbers, and all of which have their theaters still open.

Although it's staffed in Victoria, the website I write for and now run is not specifically billed as a Victorian website. It's not even specifically billed as an Australian website, though it does have a ".au" at the end, which is a dead giveaway. And homegrown talent has been interviewed on this site in the past, as well as local film festivals hyped.

If I wait until the movie is available in Victoria for my Victorian readers, it would be an acknowledgement that I really am here to serve Victorians at the expense of other Australians. I needn't do that, even if practicalities about where myself and my writers are located do dictate certain things we cover.

Now, it wouldn't be an issue if I simply had no access to this movie. That would just be that. I sometimes get advanced screeners, but not in this case. I'd have to wait until it was available in Victorian cinemas if I wanted to review it at all.

But my U.S. iTunes account does give me access to it. If I so choose, I can pony up for a rental and review it from that.

And when I say "pony up," I mean "pony up." This movie is priced at the premium rental price, a price I have only previously paid for Trolls World Tour -- and obviously you can understand why that would be the exception. (Ha, it was for my kids, and see here for my tale of buyer's remorse.)

I had planned to spend $19.99 on other things, but had not yet pulled the trigger. Scoob didn't seem like my best next opportunity, I gotta be honest.

And I don't think The King of Staten Island does either. I mean, look at that guy.

But if I do want to review it on my site, now is the time, and in fact, this weekend is the time, so I can get the review up next week, after less than a week has passed since it opened. Too much longer and it starts to go stale.

And I do like having a strong natural "in" on a potential review, that being Judd Apatow behind the camera. It can be a big help to have someone like Apatow involved with a movie, as it gives you a jumping off point for your review, even if nothing else is coming to mind.

Truth be told, I should probably give "that guy" another chance. Just because Pete Davidson appears to be playing a total douche here -- I'm not judging the tattoos, I'm judging the shirtlessness and outstretched "are you not entertained?" arms -- it doesn't mean that he is a douche, or that it's not a good performance. It might be nice to be a bit delicate with him, anyway, as he made headlines in late 2018 for an Instagram post about contemplating suicide that prompted the NYC police to do a wellness check on him. Maybe if he's a success, some of those thoughts will subside.

I guess you'll be able to tell from my Most Recently Watched section to the right what I decided.

Tonight's probably the night, if any.