'Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping' Review

Image from Trailerlist

By Darian Scalamoni

            Andy Samberg was a huge reason why Saturday Night Live stayed relevant in the 2000s, and a big part of why he was successful is because of the Digital Shorts he co-wrote with his music/sketch group The Lonely Island. This is the group’s first shot at the big screen as they tackled the rise and fall of a solo pop artist named Conner4Real. Samberg plays Conner and at the start of the film, he is on top of the world as a music artist. His debut album was multi-platinum and he’s looking to build off of his success, unfortunately the album is not received well. Due to the sophomore slump, Conner’s manager Harry (Tim Meadows) and publicist Paula (Sarah Silverman) try to avoid a downward spiral for the artist. Along the way, the movie also delves into Conner’s former music group called “The Style Boyz” which includes co-stars in the film and real-life group, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone.

            Samberg, Schaffer and Taccone are known for doing absurdist, parody like comedy on SNL along with their musical act with hit singles like “I Just Had Sex” and “I’m on a Boat”, and luckily they’re able to take advantage of the scope that film has. The witty satire of Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping hits the audience with hilarious moments poking fun at the current state of celebrity in America, as well as pop culture references galore. The film is similar in the genre of films like This Is Spinal Tap, yet it can’t capture the same glow as the 80’s Mockumentary classic. The movie is filmed as if it is documentary style though, which helps for some great gags including one where the screen goes black while Meadows and Samberg share some words in subtitles. Popstar plays fun mostly at current pop stars like Justin Bieber or Justin Timberlake (who has a fantastic small role) but it isn’t able to catch the exact attention or satisfaction that I wanted from this film.

            Having said that, the movie is far from bad and in my opinion, is the second best comedy of the year next to Neighbors 2. For a feature debut from Schaffer and Taccone, it is a solid effort that shines through, yet my main problems with Popstar is the pacing. It’s hard for a movie that is only 87 minutes to feel long but it seems similar to a SNL sketch that just goes on for a little too long. Some of the developed gags really work, yet some just drag and often feel repetitive. It was smart though of the filmmakers to attract real life public figures in the music industry like Usher and Simon Cowell (just to name a few) to provide insight on a fictional pop artist that in the world of the movie, is a superstar. Not only those small cameos from music aficionados though can top the appearances from other comedy actors throughout that I will disclose for the sake of laughs in the theater.

            All in all, Popstar is a solid comedy that will make you laugh throughout. Though repetitive nature of some of the jokes and pacing of the overall movie are problematic, the movie succeeds as a unique concept that has memorable gags from The Lonely Island crew.

Overall, I give this film a 7.2/10.