‘It’s just a bunch of scribbles and dicks and violence all in a void...’
Pete Davidson was just a name on the ether to me until I saw Judd Apatow’s excellent Davidson vehicle The King of Staten Island. That film was good enough to make me want to check out some other Davidson stuff, starting with Big Time Adolescence. So far, the NYC comedy actor is 2 for 2…
Monroe ‘Mo’ Harris (Griffin Gluck) is just a normal high school kid until he starts hanging out with his older sister’s ex-boyfriend Zeke (Davidson). Under Zeke’s watchful eye, Mo indulges in all the usual teenage rites of passage… he just indulges in them far too quickly and far too early in his young life, with mostly disastrous results.
Director Jason Orley, working from his own script, perfectly captures the teenage intoxication that comes with wanting to feel older. Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. He also renders the downside to those excesses in stunning clarity. Davidson is perfect as Zeke – Mo’s conduit to a good time and chief aggressor – and Gluck does a good job in keeping his character likeable despite various misdemeanours. Elsewhere, Sydney Sweeney continues the great work she did on Euphoria with another wide eyed portrayal of the girl next door, this time as Zeke’s on/off girlfriend Holly, and Jon Cryer also excels as Zeke’s beleaguered father Reuben. This really is an ensemble piece.
Big Time Adolescence is genuinely funny, genuinely touching and full of genuine characters. As with similar coming-of-age movies like Short Term 12 and The Spectacular Now, Big Time Adolescence made me ache for my own lost teenage years… until that metaphorical ache was superseded by the very real ache in my back because I’m old now. Complaining joints aside, this is a stand out movie in a genre littered with failures and forgettable stories. One for everyone to enjoy.