Big Time Adolescence (Hulu)
The new Hulu coming of age movie starts with Pete Davidson trying to prove to his girlfriend that he has the talent to be a serious actor. Given how much he’s complained of late about being misused and abused by Saturday Night Live, the scene feels like a deliberate message to SNL producers and the media. Given how long it takes to make a movie, that wasn’t actually the case, but either way, the good news for Davidson is that he actually acquits himself pretty well, both in the opening scene and then throughout the 90- minute movie.
The role isn’t a huge reach for Davidson, who plays a man-child named Zeke who is so stuck in his dopehead high school glory days, he’s best buds with his old ex-girlfriend’s 16-year-old brother Monroe (Griffin Gluck). Zeke is the older brother Monroe never had and his parents never wanted, and it’s actually a pretty touching relationship, but one that probably isn’t healthy for either of them. Still, Davidson gives his most vulnerable performance here, as if acknowledging his public persona and his desire to move on from it…. or at least have the pain beneath it more understood.